Source Code (2011) Review

SOURCE CODE (2011)
Director: Duncan Jones

Writer: Ben Ripley

Producers: Jeb Brody, Fabrice Gianfermi, and Howard Koch

Editor: Paul Hirsch

Music: Chris Bacon

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, and Michael Arden

Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (some violence, disturbing images, language)

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Romance

Release Date: April 1, 2011

Before Watching the Movie: This is a movie that is best to start watching with little to no prior knowledge. There's not a whole lot you really need to know in advance, since the movie explains it all. Since the movie's told from the perspective of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, you never really know more than he does. Because of this, it's best to no nothing going in. I'll include the plot section below, but if you want the "full experience," I suggest skipping that and the intro section.

Things people may find “objectionable”: Probably the worst moments the movie has to offer are during the explosions when it's clear the people are dying and Stevens has to watch this. There is also one use of the f-word and some violence as well. A couple people are shot, and Stevens gets into a couple fist fights throughout the course of the movie.

Intro: I really didn't know much at all about this movie when I saw it. All I knew was the very basic plot premise and that it had gotten really good reviews when it was out in theaters. It turns out that my lack of knowledge was a good thing, especially for this movie. Source Code is a movie that could have daily been terrible, but it's also one that is pulled off well very due especially to the writing, directing, and storytelling, as it's full of fun and mind-bending plot twits and is also exciting and engaging.

Plot: I'll keep this section brief so I don't ruin any of the plot twists. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal), a US Army captain who had been serving in Afghanistan, suddenly wakes up on a train in Chicago inside the body of a man named Shawn Fentress, sitting across from a young woman named Christina (Monaghan). After trying to get accumulated to his new surroundings, the train blows up from a terrorist bomb. Stevens then wakes up in a military capsule where he finds out he's being sent into the past via a system called Source Code and his mission is to find the bomber on the train before he or she wreaks more havoc on the city of Chicago. In the meantime, he becomes attached to the train's passengers and wonders if tries to wrestle with the fact that he's connecting with them yet they're all dead in real life.

Ratings:

     -Directing/Cinematography: 9/10. Very well directed. Jones picks interesting angles and shots and also paces the film really well and does a great job at telling the story.

     -Acting: 8/10. Decent acting by the entire cast. Everyone gives a pretty solid performance in their respective roles.

     -Writing: 9.5/10.

          -Story: 10/10. The story was definitely really cool and I loved all the twists and turns it took throughout the movie. The story was easily the strongest part of the movie and it's also what made Source Code a good movie instead of a mediocre one.

          -Script: 9/10. Very good and solid script to go along with the great story. Like I mentioned before, the writing is what makes Source Code so good.

If this is what you thought Source Code was going to
be about, you're probably a programmer.

     -Special Effects: 8/10. You could tell that the special effects were not the most up-to-date, but they still work well with the movie and it's easy to find them believable.

     -Music/Score: 10/10. The movie had a very good score that fit it quite well. It was really perfect for most of the scenarios, and it reminded me of the kind of score you would get along with a 40s or 50s mystery/suspense movie. In short, I really liked the score.

     -Power/Emotion: 8/10. All the characters were pretty likable and it's easy to feel for them, especially Stevens' character, who is caught in the middle of an unsolvable problem from his point of view, since he wants to save the people so badly, but know he can't with Source Code's 8 minute limit.

     -Adrenaline: 8/10. The movie is if nothing elementally engaging from start to finish. There are also quite a few exciting scenes, as this is an
                                                                                       action movie.

     -Mind-Bendingness: 10/10. The movie was basically one mind-bending plot twist after another w. This is definitely a movie that makes you think and always keeps you surprised, and I think this is part of why I liked it so much. I definitely like movies that make you think.

     -Humor: 2/10. There were a couple funny moments, but they were few and far between. This was definitely not the point of the movie. 

     -Best Credit: James A. Woods as "Aviator Glasses Guy."

     -Final Score: Source Code is that wonderful type of movie (according to me) that blends mentally engaging sci-fi plot twists with an exciting and fast-paced action story. Its directing and especially its writing make Source Code intelligent, engaging, and highly-watchable. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes intellectual and/or mind-bending movies movies or those who love fast-paced mystery and suspense movies.

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