SOURCE CODE DVD (2011)

SYNOPSIS: When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack. Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, Source Code is a smart action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones (Moon) also starring Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace, Syriana).

MOVIE REVIEW:

If we possess the ability to time-travel to the year 2012, we will probably tell you that this is one of the best movies of this year. “Source Code” is a smart thinking man sci-fi movie after last year’s “Inception” and it definitely deserved multiple viewings to truly grasp its premise.

“Source Code” wastes no time introducing its characters. A veteran Army chopper pilot, Cpt Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself mysteriously riding on a train bound for Chicago. Sitted opposite him is a young woman, Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who is striking a conversation with him, unfortunately Colter is no longer in his body so to speak but a teacher named Sean. Before he can probe further, an explosion occurs and he finds himself awaken in a dark location that eerily resemblances his crashed chopper. In between his video dialogues with a military officer, Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and the designer of Source Code, Dr Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), Colter realized he is part of a rescue mission and he must be send back again and again to locate the bomber responsible for the mayhem on the train.

The script by a man named Ben Ripley (whose only well-known credit is writing the direct-to-dvd release, Species III) though borrowed from many other movies notably “Groundhog Day” is taut and engaging. Not taking into account the sci-fi factor, in a post-911 atmosphere, “Source Code” serves to remind us the constant danger we are facing. As an action movie, it delivers enough thrills and it generates enough chills each time Colter is sent back into the source code despite the repetitive plotting. Sci-fi fans who are keen on the possibility of time-travel will be glad that Jones and Ripley never compromise on delivering an intriguing story mixing thought-provoking concepts with digestible popcorn entertainment values.

Questions? I’m sure you have a lot on hand, we do too. The perplexing time travel explanation by Dr Ruthledge about the ability to go back to the crucial 8 minutes time frame is enough to kill off a few brain cells in a good way. Yet the story never forgets the human factor. There’s a romance angle when Colter develops a liking to Christina and vows to save her from a fiery death in the compact 90 minutes running time.

Gyllenhaal has proves to be quite an interesting actor, juggling between action hero such as Prince of Persia to romance lead in Love And Other Drugs. He is at ease being the vulnerable and brooding Colter and sure display dazzling chemistry with Monaghan. A whole chunk of the movie relies on the two to work as they have to keep playing different variations with the same scene and do I need to say it works perfectly.

Jones’s sophomore effort after “Moon” is as compelling as the latter and the British director has proven to the world that his first major Hollywood debut is absolutely a blast. Remember the name “Duncan Jones” and not just the son of pop singer David Bowie.  

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Director Duncan Jones, Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and Writer Ben Ripley provide a very detailed and informative Audio Commentary
 which include valuable insights to the sci-fi flick. Recommended stuff.

11 short features that mainly consists of interview sessions with the cast and crew made up the Cast Insights.

Focal Points
 provide viewers with explanations on the scientific terms and facts featured in the movie.

Access Source Code: Trivia Track - If you ‘on’ this feature on your DVD, you will see pop-up trivia facts that are both related and not-so-related to the movie.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The ambient effects such as the sound of trains rumbling and the repetitive explosions stand out in this Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack otherwise dialogue is rich and clear. The overall video presentation is natural though black levels appear pretty weak in certain shots.

MOVIE RATING:



DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee




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