Bad Code

Rating: 1/10 (1 May 2011)

The fact that so many people liked this film makes me scratch my puzzler. It asks the question: what do you get when you take a touch of "12 Monkeys," add a dash of "Déjà Vu" and sprinkle on a smattering of "Groundhog's Day?" The answer? ... A whole lot of "meh." Aside from reeking of been-there-done-that syndrome, this film is reminiscent of the Star Trek: The Next Generation (STTNG) episode "Cause and Effect" in which the Enterprise was caught in a time loop in which it kept getting destroyed until the crew sussed out how to avert the tragedy. "Source Code," in similar fashion repeats an 8-minute event on a train before its destruction as a result of a terrorist bombing.
Unlike the STTNG episode that featured characters that fans (read as: Yours Truly) grew to know and love, the "Source Code" cast is unfamiliar and underdeveloped just enough for me to absolutely not care about them or their predicament.
Jake Gyllenhaal does a serviceable job as the confused, reluctant protagonist, and though I love Vera Farmiga, she simply doesn't have that much to do here. The ending I saw coming a mile away (and it even lifted a bit on the UK TV drama "Life On Mars") so I can't say I really liked this film, but hey, I'm in the minority here, so you might just enjoy it.
God have mercy on your soul, if that's the case.