silverautumn
BrentonSource Code: Groundhog Day meets Speed meets Quantum Leap
April 25th 2011 20:21
I saw Source Code the weekend it was release but just so you know, I wasn't planning on wasting my time and money on some 'random action science fiction that's been done before'. Then Simon Pegg tweeted that Duncan Jones was the director.
I was first in line.
Duncan Jones directed the 2009 film Moon. One of my favorite (but under appreciated) films of that year. It was smart sci-fi. I film that had elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey and refreshing chunks of pure humanity. One of the reasons I adore sci-fi is that it explores human nature. Solid sci-fi should bring together elements of fantasy, science and humanity to tell a story. A lot of science fiction features lose one or more of these characteristics unfortunately.
But back to Source Code. Only Jones' second film and he's already repairing the science fiction genre. This film had so much in it! Deep characters (complete with romance and redemption), multiple science fiction concepts, action, suspense, twists, dashes of humor and mystery.
Captain Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a train ("You're waiting for a train..") to find himself in the middle of a conversation with a woman he doesn't know. He discovers that the body he's in is not his own and that the train has a bomb on it. After the train explodes he wakes up again but this time he's in a strange capsule with a woman speaking to him from a computer screen. She informs him that he has a mission to find the bomber and that he only has 8 minutes to do so. He is sent back and relives those last 8 minutes over and over again till he can accomplish his mission. We learn more about Stevens, the others on the train, the mysterious 'source code' and the bomber as the film progresses.
As I said- it's Speed mixed in with Groundhog Day multiplied by Quantum Leap (Which was funny because the 'voice' of Steven's dad was the one and only Scott Bakula).
I hope Hollywood continues to use great directors like Duncan Jones to create solid sci-fi.
I was first in line.
Duncan Jones directed the 2009 film Moon. One of my favorite (but under appreciated) films of that year. It was smart sci-fi. I film that had elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey and refreshing chunks of pure humanity. One of the reasons I adore sci-fi is that it explores human nature. Solid sci-fi should bring together elements of fantasy, science and humanity to tell a story. A lot of science fiction features lose one or more of these characteristics unfortunately.
But back to Source Code. Only Jones' second film and he's already repairing the science fiction genre. This film had so much in it! Deep characters (complete with romance and redemption), multiple science fiction concepts, action, suspense, twists, dashes of humor and mystery.
Captain Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a train ("You're waiting for a train..") to find himself in the middle of a conversation with a woman he doesn't know. He discovers that the body he's in is not his own and that the train has a bomb on it. After the train explodes he wakes up again but this time he's in a strange capsule with a woman speaking to him from a computer screen. She informs him that he has a mission to find the bomber and that he only has 8 minutes to do so. He is sent back and relives those last 8 minutes over and over again till he can accomplish his mission. We learn more about Stevens, the others on the train, the mysterious 'source code' and the bomber as the film progresses.
As I said- it's Speed mixed in with Groundhog Day multiplied by Quantum Leap (Which was funny because the 'voice' of Steven's dad was the one and only Scott Bakula).
I hope Hollywood continues to use great directors like Duncan Jones to create solid sci-fi.
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