IR: Source Code

Source Code was overall good, please do go and watch it despite the coming onslaught of criticism, because though I did enjoy it I can only think that it could have been improved in so many ways.

Firstly, the romance element is done far too quickly for anyone who isn't a fairy princess who believes in love at first sight. In the film, our main character basically decides to love this girl on the basis of hearing her say one slightly nice thing. Then, BOOM; he has his heart set on her. Unrealistic.

Secondly, (and I'm assuming you know from trailers the basic premise otherwise it's about to get spoiled now,) the way that he had multiple chances at reliving the same eight minutes over and over wasn't done in the best way. First time he lived it, I was thrilled because I could see all these little details that would vary in the future from slight differences that he made. 'Coke!' 'Coffee!' 'Phone call!' 'Ticket!' Bliss! How would he learn to manipulate these and gain ever more knowledge as his tries accumulate?? Meh. He shows off a bit about the coffee and the phone call but the film never explores the full potential of it all.

And surely 'explore' should be the word here? If you we in the same space and time over and over, wouldn't you explore absolutely everything and take risks because you know that your actions have no repercussions? I don't want to get too Groundhog Day on your ass but seriously they did it so much better there. Instead, he un-methodically runs about accusing apparently randomly the first poor schmuk to attract his attention. I thought he was army trained??

A second film that did it better was Run Lola Run, where because of her actions she responded to the world in slightly different ways each time and there were very different results from this. For example, one time she hurt her leg and so came to everything a little later than before, when they were at a slightly progressed state, and this caused people to react differently to her.

Another example I can think of where repeated attempts at the same scenario are undertaken is when you or I play a computer game. You don't duck, you loose a life. You duck this time, you jump too far, you land on spikes. You duck, jump just right, reach your goal. This process of 'progress by elimination' is the compelling driving-force that makes us hit the 'continue' button every time we die, knowing full well we will die again, but also that we will eventually figure it out and get a perfect win.

Noooooooooo! Curse you robotnik!!
[SOURCE]

The scope for a little experimentation (OK; a little MORE experimentation) was there in the film and I just feel it would have been so much better for it.

Briefly now; a couple of other things that bothered me, that you can agree with once you've watched it. Why did the army waste time talking to him in a way they knew he wouldn't respond to as a soldier? And how did he get her phone number?

3/5

I admit it, I was wrong.
After seeing the trailer of Source Code I proclaimed it would be incredibly silly and pretty damn awful. And although it was, indeed, incredibly silly, it was not at all bad. Its a solid piece of work, not as good as Moon perhaps, but certainly enough to say that Mr. Duncan Jones has a bright career ahead of him.

Jake Gyllenhall is cast as Captain Colter Stevens who has inexplicably been given the task of travelling back in time to the scene of a terrorist bombing to discover who done it.
In fact, I am starting to think he has been typecast as 'the guy who goes a bit back in time to slightly change things.

See what I mean?

He gives a credible performance and thankfully his natural charisma (a blend of believable tough nut and puppy-dog charm) gives strength to what is a pretty underwritten part.
In fact, that is one of the real clangers of the film. The plot is so tight and fast paced the script has little time left for character development. However, there is just enough to make you feel short changed. The noble effort is nullified by the restrictions of a feature film.
The upshot is that the romance elements seem a little forced, the love interest (played with charm by the impish Michelle Monaghan) comes across more like an incidental background character and the various musings on the ethics of science, the importance of duty and the human spirit are either boring or mawkish.
Did I say science?
Yes, there is some of that.
And it arrives like this: one quarter into the film, the appropriately slimy but strangely unconvincing head of the project Dr Rutledge (Jeffery Wright), is forced by Captain Stevens to give an account of himself and what the hell Source Code is all about.
He replies:

'Blah blah brain patterns blah blah quantum blah blah parabolic blah thousands of lives in danger. And that's why you our bitch.'

Aside from the fact that, like the much-mocked Architect scene in the Matrix, it is nonsensical gibberish with a few science words in there to impress the plebs, its all dropped in one go like a science bomb. No more mystery, get on with the plot.

Here's the explanation you ordered, sir;
I'm afraid that we didn't have an subtly to go with it.
[SOURCE]

I LIKE technobabble, its fun and really works in some places. But here it is really clumsy.
Overall, the problems I have with Sourceocde they are these: it shows its hand too quickly and it doesn't have enough teeth. Its quite easy to see where potentially darker bits have been painted over with big-budget exposition and fluff.

There is loads to like about the film, but I can't help thinking the concept would have been better used as a TV series, possibly produced by JJ Abrams. It does have a bit of prime-time sci-fi about it...I mean, Scott Bakula makes an offscreen cameo; how could that be a coincidence?!
really works in some places. But here it is really clumsy.

Overall, the problems I have with Sourceocde they are these: it shows its hand too quickly and it doesn't have enough teeth. Its quite easy to see where potentially darker bits have been painted over with big-budget exposition and fluff.

There is loads to like about the film, but I can't help thinking the concept would have been better used as a TV series, possibly produced by JJ Abrams. It does have a bit of prime-time sci-fi about it...I mean, Scott Bakula makes an offscreen cameo; how could that be a coincidence?!

3/5