The movie going public can sometimes be frustrating. We cry about the lack of originality and complain about the onslaught of prequels, sequels, spin-offs and what-have-you, yet when we’re finally given something new and original, we don’t go out and see it. And that’s exactly what happened with Source Code. Source Code, which received a whopping 90% on RT opened with a measly $14 million on its debut weekend (second only to Hop which did a ridiculous $37 mil despite being slammed all around). Which tells me one thing – our western nation is full of idiots. Moving on.Source Code follows Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up one day on a train in front of a complete stranger. He has no idea what’s happened or how he got there and has no idea why this woman in front of him is calling him Sean. After a bout with confusion, he winds up in the washroom of the train. When he looks into the mirror, it’s not his own face he sees but the face of a man he doesn’t know. He steps out of the washroom and... BOOM! What the hell! Colter wakes up strapped inside of a capsule like chamber with monitors and screens surrounding him. A military official named Goodwin begins communicating with him through the video screen. He learns that he’s part of a program called Source Code (un-italicized), a technology that somehow uses the brain of a deceased, to backtrack 8 minutes in time before the original brain owner died. They are able to backtrack over and over, reliving those same 8 minutes each time. The train he was on exploded earlier in the day and he was sent there via Source Code to discover the bomb and the bomber before the terrorist pulls off another disaster.
The story is captivating and intriguing. It’s a Hitchcockian-like mystery, with Colter thrown into the middle of this mission not knowing what’s going on. Each time that he returns to this pseudo world, he discovers something new, both inside and outside of this reality. The plot is full of twists that will keep your brain racking with your butt at the end of your seat.
Everyone does well in their respective roles with Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright rounding out the cast. For me, Jeffrey Wright stole the show as the eccentric scientist who created the source code. Everyone plays their roles pretty straight, but it’s Wright who adds a little nuance to his role.
It’s too bad that not many people went out to see this. The Jake Gyllenhaal curse goes on. The poor guy just can’t get anything off the ground. Is the man destined to be a supporting player at best?
The film was directed masterfully by a young man named Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie!), who also did Moon (a movie I haven’t seen yet, but which has received much acclaim). Word on the street is that higher-ups at Fox were so impressed that they’re trying to attach him to the now director-less Wolverine (which un-fucking-fortunately, Darren Aronofsky left last month). I’m glad that Fox is doing something smart and not Brett-Ratner-izing the Wolverine franchise and doing something smart by attaching Jones.
At the mainstream level, it’s probably the best movie released so far this year. You might as well see it while it’s still in the theatres because honestly, there’s only shit playing right now. And by the look of this week’s release schedule, there’s tons more shit on the way! Until next time, later geeks!
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