Despite only having a relatively short 97-minute running time, Source Code is a far more impactful film than others that are a good 40-50 minutes longer. The reason in part to this is the efficiency of director Duncan Jones who jumps in to the mainstream after the success of indie hit Moon and makes a splash.
Source Code (2011)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Science Fiction/Thriller, Drama
Summit | PG13 – 94 min. – $26.99 | July 26, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Writer(s): Ben Ripley (written by)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Theatrical Release Date: April 1, 2011
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Featurettes, Trivia Track
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Region(s): 1
THE MOVIE – 4.25/5
Note: This review does contain minor spoilers which could point some key plot points.
Director Duncan Jones’ Source Code is one of the most ingenious films of early 2011, a film that is efficient in its storytelling and character development which shows you can make a sci-fi/thriller without the unnecessary padding others tend of have.
The movie starkly opens where we meet Colter Stevens (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) as he wakes up on a passenger train sitting across beautiful Christina Warren (MICHELLE MONAGHAN) but he has no idea who she is as she calls him by a different name: Sean Fentriss. He’s quite confused and after roaming about the train, he sees his reflection in the lavatory mirror and really begins to freak out. But before he knows it, the train blows up and he awakes in some sort of capsule with a woman, Goodwin (VERA FARMIGA), speaking to him via a monitor.
Obviously he’s really confused but believes this is some sort of simulation/game and she explains to him that he must find the bomb and the bomber and he’s sent back where everything that happened before happens once again. The bomb explodes (again) and he’s back in the capsule where Goodwin, and the commander of the operation (JEFFREY WRIGHT), is getting a tad annoyed with the lack of info Stevens is providing. So, they provide some more info, Stevens is sent back once again, this time he finds the bomb, so on and so forth.
Eventually they reveal to him this is not a simulation but is in fact a new project called Source Code in which a person’s synapses can be connected with those departed, and can go in and find key pieces of information, in this case finding the terrorist who they somehow know is set to launch an even larger device that will kill millions. Through his numerous tries, he begins to see something in Christina and tries to save her from the explosion only to learn she cannot be saved. So, through trial and error, he discovers key pieces of info and discovers something else in a clever twist which I’ll leave you to find out.
The film itself is pretty clever and while this is marketed as a sci-fi actioner, there’s a heart behind it. As I said at the beginning, Duncan Jones is efficient with his storytelling, so much that we get to know Stevens fairly quickly and are with him on his journey all the way.
The cast for the film meanwhile is also efficient in that you don’t get a whole lot of character development but through one or two key lines of dialogue allows just enough for you to care about every one of them that you hang on their every word and on their every action. While I give props to Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright – a great actor in a thankless role where he has to explain the Source Code – and Michelle Monaghan, it is Jake Gyllenhaal who carries the film. He has the right balance of charisma/charm, drama and a bit of slyness and when combined with the twist, you really feel for his character.
This is Duncan Jones’s first foray into the more mainstream realm after a sci-fi short film entitled Whistle and 2009’s critically acclaimed Moon starring Sam Rockwell, often compared with Kubrick’s classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s not a big leap that a studio would offer the director’s chair to Jones for Source Code as it seems to explore some of the same ideas, character-wise anyway, of Moon. Sure, it’s not an ambitious movie but the story is easy for general audience members to comprehend/accept but still enough of a independent ideals that probably made the story interesting for Jones to direct.
The film was written by Ben Ripley and the only reason I bring him up is because he was the writer behind a couple of gems including Species III and Species: The Awakening so it is interesting to see what can be done when you get some talent behind the camera because the story here is well developed.
Source Code is a combination of “Quantum Leap”, “24” (without the ‘evil leaper’ and melodramatic/inane twists respectively) and Groundhog Day. It’s one of the better films I’ve seen thus far in 2011 and one I highly recommend, though admittedly the third act isn’t exactly what one might expect from a Hollywood picture (of course some would argue the ending itself is).
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5
The DVD comes with a semi-glossy slip cover and artwork that is different from the Blu-ray version.
Audio Commentary – Director Duncan Jones, Star Jake Gyllenhaal and Writer Ben Ripley sit down for a low key, professional commentary track providing information on how the project came about, the characters, other actors, etc.
Cast and Crew Insights (35:02) is a compilation of 11 featurettes covering various topics like the main character, working with Duncan Jones, acting opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, etc. There’s not much here despite the running time as they contain sound bites with the cast and crew talking about one another intercut with scenes from the film.
Focal Points (6:52) is a more scientific approach talking about “Memory Recall”, “Quantum Physics”, “Many Worlds Theory” and the like. If you’re interested in these sorts of things, why not check out “Into the Wormhole” on the Science Channel…
Access: Source Code Trivia Track is merely a pop-up bubble relaying info you either already know or don’t really care about.
Lastly, there is a preview for The Three Musketeers.
VIDEO – 4.0/5
Source Code leaps onto DVD with a 1.78 anamorphic widescreen transfer and all in all, it looks pretty good compared with other DVD releases. I did notice some edging on some objects, especially for exterior shots, but on board the train or inside the capsule, everything looks great.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track meanwhile has clear dialogue and a fair amount of depth during the action sequences. The bass also gets a good workout with the floor shaking at various key moments.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Despite only having a relatively short 97-minute running time, Source Code is a far more impactful film than others that are a good 40-50 minutes longer. The reason in part to this is the efficiency of director Duncan Jones who jumps in to the mainstream after the success of indie hit Moon and makes a splash. In regards to the DVD, both the video and audio are quite good while the features are nice yet nothing special.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 07/19/2011