For those who haven’t seen Moon, do yourself a favour! It’s not brilliant, but it’s refreshing and enjoyable, and it’s almost the same movie as Source Code. It’s not surprising seeing Director Duncan Jones is behind both films, but it’s nice to see a different approach to the sci-fi genre.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Captain Colter Stevens and one day he wakes up on board a train sitting across from an attractive woman (Michelle Monaghan). His last memory is of fighting in Afghanistan and he has no idea how he got here. It becomes clear very quickly that Steven’s isn’t Stevens, in fact he’s someone else entirely – and then the train explodes killing everyone on board.
Interested yet? The film’s hook intrigues you from the first minute and doesn’t let you go until the very end. I won’t go further into the plot because I believe this is one film where going in cold will make it more of a treat.
As with Moon the film puts an emphasis on character, especially a naturalistic style of acting. You find yourself believing every word of every character, even some of the more outlandish, because the dialogue is a step above your standard action thriller.
It also wouldn’t be a sci-fi flick if not for some futuristic technology, and without spoiling anything I would have liked to have heard a better explanation for the film’s primary plot device. It is in fact based on real scientific theory, but it’s washed over in the film and can leave you feeling like the premise is absolutely preposterous.
In the end however, it really doesn’t matter.
At 93 minutes Source Code leaves you wanting more. Jeffery Wright and Vera Farmiga add a great deal to the film in their supporting roles, and everything seems to just fit right. There aren’t a lot of great sci-fi films around these days, so keep an eye out for any future Duncan Jones movies.
Liquid Film 