Source Code (2011)

Groundhog Day but with no laughing.

All joking aside, Source Code was actually an interesting film. Kind of a stretch, but no more so than Inception or any other conceptual movie like it. They are both movies that depict fictional science. But if you can get past reality of the situation, it was definitely an entertaining watch.

Larking back to my previous Groundhog Day comment, I could definitely make some comparisons between the film. You got the same feeling of boredom watching a series of events happen over and over. And there was a similar moment where Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) predicted mundane happenings directly before they occurred, puzzling the female lead, played by Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date). But these small similarities didn't take away from the film, which was much more action based. Didn't laugh once, promise.

The film tackles some heavy subjects if you're into that sort of thing. I mean, how much is a soldier expected to sacrifice for his country? This guy has to die over and over and over again. Don't get me wrong, saving lives is a priority. But the ethics of the situation is the real question.

The visual effects were decent. Nothing really outside of the box. I definitely appreciated the choice to keep Jake Gyllenhaal in place even when inside the source code. Bouncing back and forth between two actors would be confusing. Sound on the other hand was a mixed bag for me. I didn't notice anything throughout the film, but I found myself despising the background music during the introduction. I felt like I was transported back to some bad 80s movie. Ughh *shiver*

All joking aside, I would still recommend the film. Maybe don't go out of your way to see it in theaters, but a DVD is definitely an option. Don't worry about Blu-Ray, the only difference will be how crisp Gyllenhaal's five o'clock shadow looks. 6.5/10, maybe a seven. But only if you still haven't gotten over Donnie Darko.

Posted in: Mystery,Sci-Fi,Thriller