The Year's First Sci-Fi Thriller: "Source Code"

Director Duncan Jones’ anticipated second film “Source Code” falls slightly short of his riveting 2009 project “Moon,” but thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal’s impressive performance, it’s definitely worthy of the “smart, action-packed sci-fi thriller” tag it’s been given… as long as you’re able to leave your brain at the door for 94 minutes.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plotline, here it is in brief:  When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a governmental mission that allows him to live in the last eight minutes of another man’s life in order to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

The movie begins by throwing the audience into the confusion of Gyllenhaal’s first eight-minute session when he wakes up on the train with a woman named Christine (Michelle Monaghan). After being transported back into government hands, he learns of his mission, and with each trip back, he slowly acquires more clues and knowledge in order to locate the bomb suspect. 

After fishy explanations of Source Code science, and just when its sequence of events becomes almost too repetitive, Jones recaptures the audience when Gyllenhaal finds out that he actually died in battle two months ago and is operating on advanced life support.

Following another handful of flashbacks, Gyllenhaal finally tracks down the bomber (though the bomb still detonates). But when Michael Arden’s antagonistic character is caught, it’s disappointingly anti-climactic. Even though he fires gunshots at Gyllenhaal and Monaghan, Arden remains calm and boring, claiming that his destructive motives will allow society to “start over again.” 

When the mission is complete, Gyllenhaal makes a final negotiation with his government official (Vera Farmiga), in order to be at peace with his death. He requests to be sent back for one last eight-minute trip in order to disarm the bomb and save the commuters in exchange for his life support termination. In the last few minutes of the movie, a twist takes everything a step deeper, suggesting that the Source Code program works even better than the government realizes.

Despite its intelligence, the plotline reveals a few holes and paradoxes that leave the viewers questioning and over-thinking the program’s credibility. But if you think in circles long enough, you could probably patch them.

Overall, Jones ties emotion well into a plotline of action and anticipation. The audience has little time to be attached to any character other than Gyllenhaal, yet viewers feel a sense of closure when Gyllenhaal is able to contact his father, and a sense of triumph when he wins over Christine (‘cause heroes always get the girl).  In addition, the movie drives home the theme that we shouldn’t “sweat the small stuff” because life is short.

So even with its handful of slipups that could potentially leave your brain sore, “Source Code” is a smart, suspenseful time-twister that is definitely worth giving a chance.

"Source Code" is playing tonight at Rave in the Center Valley Promenade Shops at 5:10 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 9:40 p.m. and 10:05 p.m.