Source Code

Catharsis. Not only did Source Code cross into the realm of quantum physics and sociology, it entertained and surprised me. Classic thought transfer (hi to fellow SGU fans) doesn’t happen here in the way that most genre experts would think, but in a much more sophisticated and I dare say less researched way. Ingenious action sequences come fast and furious and the audience has no time for any sense of doubt to emerge. In fact, there is no need. It’s disappointing that the finale is rather lacking in ferocity, but things needed to slow down a bit because, even though I consider myself to be a sci-fi connoisseur, I had trouble keeping up. Gyllenhaal is awesome again (forget that hairy prince) and you’ll find it as easy to fall in love with Michelle Monaghan as our hero does. Duncan Jones steps on the gas and after the excellent Moon (and we find a reference to this) he continues up the stairway to perfection. Bacon’s background music is a real treat. (25/04/2011)

Three words: Jake Fuckin’ Gyllenhaal. Finally, this handsome man didn't remind me of a steamed chicken, but his subtle charisma pulled the film in both genre positions. As a "mental" detective, he has the necessary energy, like a lover who has his scary softened eyes for eight minutes of love-making. Duncan Jones may not have had the strongest script to work with, but he caught on to the themes that fascinated him back in Moon, making the otherwise fairly ordinary sci-fi thriller into a very chilling spectacle. The hero, isolated and deceived even by the almost Verhoeven-Cronenberg motif of his exploited body - at the end all of this beautifully blew the wind into my sails, turning that rather austere and quickly exhausting story of a return to the past (or the appearance of the past) into a really powerful and quirky film that has no competition this year. If it weren't for the sometimes stupid dialogues and sometimes cheaper visuals, I'd have gone to euphoric heights. (12/04/2011)

If I wrote a short story called Source Code and sent it to the contest I submit something to every year, the judges would surely praise me for a fairly original idea and the repetition of the eight-minute scenes on the train, which always brings something new and is imaginatively interspersed with cool metaphorical interludes in the capsule. I'm sure they'd like the characters (I'd try to describe the main character in a way that's as Jake Gyllenhaal-like as possible), and I'm sure they'd be impressed by the absolutely beautiful, gorgeous scene when the world stopped. However, the judges would have a huge problem with what happens in Source Code after this scene. None of them would probably be able to digest the multitude of not only unexplained, but above all unexplainable question marks. And it's all the sadder that such an ending was not necessary at all. The director and screenwriters just wanted to act for a moment that they were making an important film with a big impact, but they forgot that they are not Nolan, who can get away with such excesses. Three and a half. (31/08/2011)

I like the fact that Duncan Jones sells utter banalities as little unobtrusive indie pieces, where many (rightly!) shout the words of the savior of intelligent sci-fi, and so on. With Source Code, however, I can't help thinking that if the whole thing had been treated as a quarter-hour short, the result would have been better than this feature film, which harms itself by trying to do too many things at once (time paradoxes, military trauma, the love story). In addition, the protagonist has the option to press the "load" button so many times that you eventually realize that he has to be able to do it once, just like in a PC game when you start from the same checkpoint for the umpteenth time and hope that this time you won't definitively die. 3 ½. (01/09/2011)

Why have I put off the day watching this movie so much? Really interesting subject matter and I have to say that Jake Gyllenhaal surprised me greatly with his performance. A sophisticated script and details that leave you spellbound. I'm giving 5 stars mainly because I'm so confused that as far as I know I could have been in the movie too. I must also point out the brilliant music, which went nicely hand in hand with the plot. The only thing missing was a more elaborate ending. (03/05/2011)