Genres

Visitors Review

Matt Brunson 2012-05-24 19:28:42

Source Code, overall a highly entertaining movie, concludes with what will doubtless remain one of the worst endings of the year.

Voltravel 2012-05-24 07:52:30

A Trip Worth aking (Again and Again)

We have seen so many movies with time travel as their basis. But what about time travel where you cannot affect the past, and you are told so? Except you believe that you can make a difference? And not so much as time travel, as parallel universes that can never touch, or can they? This movie tackles these issues, human frailities, a soldier's sadness, terrorism, love, hope, and so much more that you would think it would be nothing but a mish-mash (ref Inception for an alternate world mish-mash). We were extremely pleased by the movie, and will at least rent it when it is available on disk, if not purchase it outright. It is worth the second viewing, and we most heartedly advise that you do the first viewing.

Marshall Fine 2012-05-24 03:07:04

Relies on momentum to keep you hooked on a plot that loops back on itself like a Moebius strip. Don't think about it too much.

jtwcosmos 2012-05-23 11:44:04

Source Code (2011)

"Sir, I need to give him something..."This is the story of a US Air Force Captain who is sent back in time toprevent a terrorist attack. The movie that follows the story hasinteresting direction, a script that could have been better, goodactors and great special effects.This is the second film by Duncan Jones, the director of "Moon", asmall budget project with a great story and cast which explores thedifficulties of being alone in the world... err... moon. His secondmovie is placed in a much more populated setting, but still verylimited. The entire action takes place on board a train and in someundisclosed other facility.From a technical point of view, the movie presented two mainchallenges: how to make the story and the sets not look linear andunidimensional, first, and how to induce the sensation of confusion andinsecurity, second. Both problems have interesting solutions, thesecond one being particularly well done, with the opening sequences ofthe movie plunging the viewers into a very confusing environment, wherethey are not quite sure of what they are seeing. The angles arestrange, either vertical, filmed from above straight down or veryhorizontal, flat and distant. It does not make sense and it isbrilliant. The solution to the first problem is also very creative.The script is quite complicated, and it has some problems, thetechobabble being one of them. It is confusing and not very convincing,but it could have worked well. There are other problems, however withthe way the drama unfolds, layer by layer. The layered approach hasbeen used before and done better. "Ogres are like onions." "You smellbad? You make people cry?" "Layers, Donkey, ogres have layers."Unfortunately there are far bigger problems and one of them is thecurrent state of the main character. It is totally uncalled for, it isa very weak and soap opera like device to introduce an unnecessaryemotional charge, and it negates much more interesting possibilitiesand development opportunities. It also leads to a very bad ending. Onthe positive side, the script is very good at creating tension anddrama.The actors are good, with a strong emotional presence. Jake Gyllenhaalis very intense, Vera Farmiga is also intense, in a subtler, quieterway and Michelle Monaghan provides an welcomed balance to all thisintensity, by being nice and relaxed.The special effects are excellent and very unexpected, with a veryeffective timing.Source Code. A good thriller, if not for some script incongruities andan unnecessary ending. 6/10.

bharmankaya 2012-05-23 12:15:05

Excellent action!...

I really wonder how people create kind of stories... After Matrixtrilogy and Inception ideologies you can think these are the edge ofhuman mind but not. I watched Source Code three times and I thought Iwatched this movie as if hundred times but at the end I still wasenjoying the story. I think this is a kind of sci-fi movie that filmedwithout using space, space-crafts, computer created alien-likecreatures. I felt this when I watched Bruce Willis' 12 Monkeys. JakeGyllenhaal is playing excellent role, actually he is finishing allmovie alone. Well, if you want to watch good action and sci-fi then youfound it...

2012-05-23 02:26:47

Had me but lost me...

*Spoiler*The main part of this movie is gripping and well done, but the tag on happy ending? Puhleeze...There are so many things wrong with that plot 'twist' that I don't know where to begin. How about the fact that some poor teacher had his body taken over because he died but, wait a minute, really he didn't. So what happened to him? Oh well, up until then I was enjoying it. The supporting cast were great, the interactions realistic, and the suspense believable.

Mark Dujsik 2012-05-21 19:59:42

Director Duncan Jones' sophomore feature is an exhilarating experience.

2012-05-21 11:06:46

Great movie

This review is from: Source Code (Amazon Instant Video) I didn't expect to like this movie as much as I did. After seeing Prince of Persia I wasn't sure I wanted to see Jake in another movie again .. but this one made me fall in love with him. He was perfect in this role. The story was great, the visuals, the actors. I really suggest watching this movie. I don't have a lot of faith in Hollywood these days with some of the movies that have been coming out recently, but this movie shows they've still got it. Great movie.

Sudhir Kumar 2012-05-19 18:28:37

All brainier sci-fi, hold on to your seat!

If you have seen Vantage Point and liked it then I would suggest youwatch this too. Michelle Monaghan is beautiful as ever. This movie is aperfect mix of Science fiction, thriller and romance. I would rate itat par with Christopher Nolan's Inception. Couldn't really understandwhy it has not received similar reception at the Box Office.The way it started, I was really off, but with the unfolding of thetheme, I was left spell bound! The ending was a good start for the heroas it always is, but I felt happy for the poor guy having apple pie!The background score was below par, because a thrillers experience isenhanced only by the background score.

2012-05-19 08:29:42

'Source Code' Reboots the Sci-Fi, Action-Thriller Franchise

`Source Code' does what `Vantage Point (Single-Disc Edition)' tried to do, but failed. It makes us look at a public scene where some imminent violence or calamity is about to take place, and then backs up to show us the same scene again with a different point-of-view. (Except this time, the protagonist relives the same moments and scenes on a commuter train.) As has been stated time and time again, `Source Code''s method may be preposterous science fiction--like anime' adventure `Paprika--' but its thrust is decidedly more closely aligned to `Groundhog Day (Special 15th Anniversary Edition)'.The story begins with a disoriented Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who finds himself on a commuter train headed to Chicago. Next to him is a woman identifying herself as his girlfriend, Christine (Michelle Monaghan). A serious of events take place: Someone spills coffee on his shoe; he gets up; someone knocks over a file with papers in it; and he goes to the bathroom where a mirror shows him to be someone else than he knows himself to be.After a series of awkward moves, he sees his train pass another train, and both blow up into oblivion...Then, we are taken into a military vessel, much resembling a small space unit, where Colter is received on a screen with instructions from Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) who gets him to use a "source code" technology, which enables him to relive the scene, find information, and prevent otherwise inevitable catastrophe.He fights the mission with a fervent confusion--not able to fully comprehend when he was on an earlier mission--not in incognito and on the war front of Afghanistan. To get him on track, Goodwin and her superior officer, Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), have to brief him as quickly as possible because their intelligence program is in experimental infancy with many harrowing risks for Colter and civilization at large...The causality of `Source Code' is easily as fanciful as `Inception,' but the story is much easier to follow, and the format and development admirably suspend disbelief in ways that few movies do. While similar movies can be awkwardly paced, tediously unfolded, or convoluted beyond our senses, `Source Code' is satisfying popcorn entertainment with an admirable message about the brevity and preciousness of life without ever being weighed down by stale or labored moments.(Credit information is taken from IMDB.com)

Vivekmaru45 2012-05-19 03:23:18

What you die, it's all over..... or is it???

The concept of afterlife has fascinated man for eons. In this filmafter the human body expires, there is residual electrical energy inthe brain and an 8 minute long short term memory record.Enter the source code: a time loop program that allows the subject totake over another deceased persons body in a reenactment of their lasteight minutes of life.Full Plot: Colter Stevens, a decorated army helicopter pilot, suddenlywakes up on a train sitting across from a woman named Christina Warren(Michelle Monaghan). The woman seems to know him by the name SeanFentress, but he doesn't seem to know her. After eight minutes, a bombgoes off on the train, and he awakens to find himself strapped inside asmall geodesic dome.There, Air Force Capt. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) explains to himthrough a computer screen that he is now on a mission to locate themaker of a bomb which destroyed a train headed into Chicago.Stevens has no memory of how he became involved in the Source Codeproject; his last memory is of flying in a recent mission inAfghanistan while taking on enemy gunfire. Stevens' mission in theSource Code is to assume the identity of Fentress, one of the train'spassengers, locate the bomb, discover who detonated it, and report backto Goodwin to prevent the bomber from detonating a larger nucleardevice in downtown Chicago, which could cause the deaths of millions ofpeople. Goodwin and the Source Code's creator, Dr. Rutledge (JeffreyWright), tell him that the Source Code is not a simulation, but a visitinto the past in the form of an alternate reality. He's told that hecannot truly alter the past to save any of the passengers, but that hemust gather intel that can be used to alter the future and prevent afuture attack. Goodwin assures Stevens that "everything will be OK."Stevens is sent into the Source Code repeatedly, and each time a seriesof events repeat, with variations due to Stevens' acts. Meanwhile, hegoes on searching for the terrorist and getting to know Christina,until the bomb that destroys the train goes off and Fentress dies,sending Stevens back to the chamber.Even though Rutledge and Goodwin constantly direct him to focus onfinding the bomber, each time around he learns more, both about theterrorist attack and his real life personal situation. Stevens resolvesto complete his mission, now with the added personal goal of savingChristina and the people on the train if at all possible.Using a cellphone while on the train, Stevens eventually discovers thathe supposedly died two months ago. He confronts Goodwin with thisinformation, and learns from Goodwin and Rutledge that he had been shotdown during the war, and his mutilated body was appropriated by the AirForce and used by Rutledge to operate the Source Code. Stevens thenasks Rutledge and Goodwin to let him die, which they promise they willdo once the mission is finished.He eventually discovers that the bomber is a disturbed American youngman named Derek Frost (Michael Arden), which allows authorities toapprehend Frost and save Chicago before the second bomb is detonated.With the mission accomplished, and despite their promise, Rutledgeorders Stevens' memory to be erased and stored for reuse in furthermissions. However, Stevens persuades Goodwin to send him in one moretime and give him one last chance to avert the train disaster. Goodwinagrees that he deserves to be allowed to die in peace afterwardsinstead of being held alive as a military brain in a vat.With the information he has uncovered from previous trips into theSource Code, Stevens is able to defuse the bomb and immobilize Frostbefore he can destroy the train.Stevens and Christina kiss in the last seconds before the eight-minutemark. In that instant, Goodwin turns off his life support per hisrequest, but to Stevens' surprise, his mind remains in Sean Fentress'body. He is then able to safely leave the train with Christina, alsosaving the rest of the passengers. Now in the alternate universe, analternate version of Goodwin receives an email from Stevens explainingwhat has happened and that the Source Code can alter the targetalternate reality. The movie ends with Stevens taking Fentress' place,and asking Goodwin to help Captain Colter Stevens and tell him that"everything will be OK.", which Goodwin had told Stevens earlier in thefilm.Verdict: a thought provoking film that questions our deepest darkestfears about death. The only downside about the film is that it is toobrief, and should have been longer. As the film approaches the finale,there is no real climax ending for the viewer.Similar films: The Race Against Time (2000 TV), Time After Time (1979),Deja Vu (2006), Groundhog day (1993), The Time Machine (1960, 2002remake), Time Cop (1994), A.P.E.X. (1994), Total Recall (1990),Timescape (1992), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) and Time Trax (1993 TVseries).Add the above movies to your DVD collection and ENJOY!!!

delibebek 2012-05-18 20:26:25

Outstanding

This movie sneaks up on you, despite the basic premise being laid outearly on. It reveals slowly, with great pacing. The science fictionaspect of the plot is daring, but the story hangs on to it withoutgetting drowned in concepts. The characters, the acting, are exactlywhat they need to be to make you care what happens next, and the endingis totally satisfying. You don't want it to end until the end, and whenit does, you'll smile, knowing that it all worked out.Asks the same question The Matrix asked, but without the pretension,without the slow-mo fighting, just with a perfect blend of sciencefiction, metaphysics and heart.

2012-05-17 07:13:10

nice film

as long as you stick to the story line and dont ask "how can this be?" - your ok.cast performance is great and the plot unravels fast.

James 2012-05-16 17:05:28

A very worthy watch!

I found this movie to be quite profound in some ways and it still had me thinking even days after. I would've liked a better explanation of how they got the source code. If there had been at least one survivor of the train explosion, perhaps to die shortly afterward but they scanned his brain for his last 8 minutes. But nonetheless I really enjoyed the plot and how he was able to uncover more clues with each trip back. Just really provokes the imagination and asked what was possible within that realm and if it could in fact impact reality? Phone calls and emails from within the paralell reality to real time really strengthened this argument. All in all I liked the actors and there was one chilling scene in particular. This was a great Sci-Fi suspense thriller.

mo mosenbaum 2012-05-14 01:15:04

well worth while

Finally a movie worth writing a comment about. It was original and notsome three minute remake of an existing movie or a cookie cutter pieceof crap. I like the suspense and a cast of unfamiliar faces thatdoesn't have you thinking of the last movie you saw that super famoustype cast actor in. Keeping the how and what of everything thathappened before the opening scene makes for a good way stay interestedin this film. This movie had that 12 monkey's feel to it but verydifferent. Overall I like it and would recommend this to all who wantto spend there time with quality entertainment. I hope to see moreoriginal based movies produced, as hard as that is now a days.

Adam Woodward 2012-05-13 07:20:46

Jones may have passed his first real Hollywood test with merit, but he has wisely avoided trying to make this his calling card movie. Here's betting he'll be back with something more personal and profound in 2012.

2012-05-12 01:14:19

Intriging Movie

Source Code was fast paced and keep me on the edge of my seat. It's one of those movies you have to pay insanely close attention too. I have always been fasnicated with movies of this genre. Ones that make your brain think and keep you guessing. This movie defiantly delivered. Jake Gyllenhaal gave a superb performance. This movie is one you need to watch and you will enjoy it. I think it is defiantly one of the most underrated movies of 2011, but it was defiantly in my top five.Go watch it today!

Robert W. Butler 2012-05-11 18:59:34

Remarkably coherent and weirdly compelling.

Critomaton 2012-05-10 14:40:02

It's not Deja Vu all over again, because Deja Vu was a good film

Here's a simple review of Source Code: If you didn't like Deja Vu, withDenzel Washington, you'll probably hate Source Code. In fact, if youloved Deja Vu you'll probably still hate Source Code.SC doesn't work on any level. The explanation of the sci-fi tech islazy - it doesn't work hard enough to warrant the suspension ofdisbelief you'd need to invest yourself in the story.The characters are so clichéd it's too embarrassing to even talk aboutthem. Suffice it to say that they're phonier and more unbelievable thanthe quantum physics technobabble.The hero finds the bomb in the first place he looks. Yawn. The bomberis the last person he suspects but the first person Hollywood wouldsuspect. Yawn.The super-secret, billion-dollar, experimental quantum physics projectat an Air Force base is run by a nebbishy civilian professor, onetechnician, and Vera Farmiga. Groan.Did Jake Gyllenhall change the past in his universe, the future in aparallel universe, or what? Who cares?Howard Stern Tweeted about this movie "it was great." He is known forquestionable taste in movies, so I wasn't sure what to do with thatreview. I figured going in that the lack of an exclamation point wasintentional sarcasm. After seeing this turkey, I sure hope it was.

2012-05-10 12:32:27

Intelligent thriller of a movie

Jake Gyllenhaal has been proving himself as a good lead in movies such as Prince of Persia, Love and Other Drugs, and the Zodiac, to name a few. He continues to show that he's not just a charming person, but can create suspense, drama, and show that he is a capable of sustaining the drama and thrill of a movie. In source code, he brings passion, believability, and comedic relief. Also, you could really feel the pain and frustration of his character. Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jefferey Wright all are good in their supporting roles. Well done!Other thoughts:- Well crafted movie. I loved the pace and the confusion we experience with Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal). I feel the emotion because of way the movie was made. The special effects, lightning, fading, and angles of the movies immerses us into the movie. Great movie overall. It will keep you engaged and thinking all throughout the movie. A fun movie experience!