This Decade's "Minority Report" is Here...

Rating: 8/10 (21 April 2012)

When I saw the trailer for "Source Code", I immediately thought "this looks like it could be really awesome or really dumb". I was kind of leaning towards dumb because there aren't many sci-fi thrillers that are good these days. So I held off on renting it. But I finally did because I saw the trailer again and was like, "you know what, I'm going to watch "Source Code" finally". And I'm glad I did.
The plot of "Source Code" involves Captain Colter Stevens (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) being abducted by a government project so he can go back in time into the body of another man to stop a terrorist from blowing up a Chicago train. I have to say, this premise always sounded really cool. Anything involving time travel in any way shape or form is always a good thing. But the cool thing about "Source Code" is, as it's said in the film, it's not time travel, it's time reassignment. It isn't explained too well and I have a hard enough time trying to think about it as I'm writing this, but when you're watching the film, you understand, and that's really what matters. This isn't a time travel film you should go all sciencey on. It's just meant to give you a basic explanation for how the premise of this movie can even work.
Acting is good. Nothing Oscar worthy, but good performances none the less. Jake Gyllenhaal is very good as Colter. He brings a lot of frantic and chaotic energy to the screen. Colter is a very believable character. You sympathize with this guy and you really believe him. It kind of reminds me of Bruce Willis' performance in the original "Die Hard". Even though he's in this ridiculous situation, he's still making wise-ass jokes and being smart. It's a really enjoyable performance that really shows how diverse an actor Jake Gyllenhaal really is.
Michelle Monaghan plays Christine, Colter's love interest. Her character isn't that developed since we hear a lot of the same facts about her repeatedly, but overall she's a decent character. I didn't think she was there for much, except so that the ending of the film could even happen. But I'll get to that later.
I like how small the scale of this movie is. Overall, there are three main sets; the capsule that Colter is stuck in, the headquarters for Source Code, and the train. You get associated with these areas real fast, and it kind of helps to put you in Colter's shoes. You're just seeing the same stuff over and over again. You already know where everything is, what's going to happen and how it will happen, but each trip is a little different.
The final half an hour of the film is excellent. This is where Jake Gyllenhaal's acting skills are really spotlighted. He practically has this whole last half hour to show off what he can do. We get to see a cocky Colter, an emotional Colter, and a romantic Colter. We get to see all sides to this character in the span of this hour and a half film, and that's what makes him so believable.
The ending is interesting. I'm not going to spoil it but I'll put my feelings out there. I think it was the right move, story wise, but I think it wasn't executed the best. It's still good, but I think the real thing that kills it is the lack of emotion in Jake Gyllenhaal's final narration. Especially because this ending is emotional. Overall, I think "Source Code" was very enjoyable. While not the most thrilling of movies and definitely not at all action-packed, "Source Code" will make your mind think. A lot of people might not get it, and a lot might think it was very generic, and I could see why. So I say, at least watch "Source Code". You may be surprised.