Albert Einstein once spoke of insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and over again, but expecting different results.” If this is true, than the sci-fi thriller “Source Code” hopes to have some fun with that idea. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a military pilot who becomes part of a top-secret government program called the “Source Code.” This is a computer program that allows him to transfer his consciousness into it, where a virtually simulated world is fully reconstructed giving him the ability to exist within it. This world depicts the events of a terrorist bombing on a train from earlier that day. Once inside, Gyllenhaal has 8 minutes to discover the location of the terrorist bomb before it blows up the train; once the 8 minutes are up, the train, and he, explode! Then, he wakes up in a bunker being controlled by technicians…and tries it all again.
“Source Code” plays a little bit like one of those video game where you are forced to play a level over and over and over again until you pass it (wow, remember what it was like to play a video game and not be able to save your progress? What about running out of quarters? Ah, those were the days. Man, I am glad those days are over!) Anyway, once inside this 8-minute loop, Gyllenhaal discovers clues about, not only the location of the bomb, but also who the bomber might be. If he can uncover his identity, then he can be apprehended before he can hit his next terrorist target.
Now, how much of the logic of this story actually makes sense after the movie has ended, I do not know. What I do know is that while it was happening, I really enjoyed it! Duncan Jones, who also directed a very low-budget sci-fi film called “Moon”, directed this movie. “Moon” was a very good film that showed Jones was a director with considerable visual style (most of the visual effects in that film were models and miniatures) but who could also tell a story in a way that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. “Source Code” is a movie just like that. He brings his visual flair (there is a great shot of Gyllenhaal jumping off of a train and the camera following him in one continuous take as he roles across the ground and gets back up. I love when a filmmaker shows me something I haven’t seen before!) and he also keeps the suspense going.
He is also given plenty of assists by an impressive cast, which includes Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffery Wright. At times, the dialogue gets a little simplistic and on the nose (listening to Jeffrey Wright explain what the Source Code is still didn’t make a lot of sense, even with the light-bulb analogy; maybe the less said the better), but the cast does the best they can with it. Gyllenhaal in particular brings a real vulnerability and intensity to his role that, not only anchors the movie, but also further establishes him as a good leading man.
Where the movie really strains credibility would be the ending. Obviously, when we go into any movie we know it is only make believe. However, the magic of storytelling is that a good story, well told, can make us forget about that and feel as if we, the audience, are experiencing the story as it unfolds (regardless of how many light sabers and dinosaurs may be involved.) Therefore, in stories dealing with the fantastical, they must set up the ground rules (the ‘internal logic’, if you will) of its ‘make believe universe’ if we are to ever really buy into it. In this case, I can accept that a machine was invented that can cause a man to relive the last 8 minutes of someone else’s life before they die. However, I cannot accept what passes for the ending in “Source Code.” It’s as if the filmmakers became wary of sending us out of the theater with any inclination that something vaguely depressing happened, and just tacked on a silly happy ending which does not fit in with the internal logic set up earlier in the film.
Having said that, the ending was not enough to ruin my overall enjoyment. "Source Code" is a really entertaining popcorn movie with some impressive performances and some cool visual touches. It is also refreshing to see a science fiction film with a strong enough story that doesn't need to depend on non-stop mindless action to entertain. Instead, the movie explores the implications of an intriguing question: if we knew that we were going to die in 8 minutes, how would we make those final minutes count? I guess the answer to that question might be easier if someone as fetching as Michelle Monaghan were also standing right in front of me, but that's another story.
Movie Theater Experience
I saw “Source Code” at the 9:25pm show at the White Bear Township Theater. It was a good experience, overall. Before the movie started, I made a trip into the game room and found an “Independence Day” pinball machine! Anyone who remembers the cultural phenomenon of that 1996 sci-fi action movie might also feel the same kind of chill that I did. I loved that movie when I was a kid and I saw it 6 times in the theater (2nd only to “Jurassic Park” in theater viewings.) It seems like every movie theater has a pinball machine based on some old movie that most people have probably forgotten about. What is it about seeing these pinball machines that fills me with nostalgia, but also a little bit of sadness? Is it because I can remember when these were movies that millions of people were once talking about, now all but immortalized as a functioning pinball machine that will probably not be replaced when its number is up? Or is it just a reminder of how much time has passed, and yet it all still feels like yesterday.
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