Genuine, Authentic, Filmmaking

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2011)

Duncan Jones's 'Source Code' is such a good movie, and feels so fresh and original because it actually concentrates on the art of true cinema, photography, editing and timing, rather than CGI driven action and effects.
even though a true sci-fi story, the directorial style of Duncan Jones feels more like works of Hitchcock than most sci-fi fare. even though the science fiction is good speculation and highly imaginative, the real focus is on unraveling the mystery and creating different levels of suspense.
it seems rare these days when a mainstream fantasy film is more about the acting, screen story, and photography and editing, than a lot of showy CGI effects that always look like CGI and create somewhat of a stylized appearance. 'Source Code' was more about building mood than numbing the audience with big, flashy effects.
Duncan Jones delivers some of mainstream filmmaking's more intelligent, thinking fantasy films. although not as good as his film 'Moon', 'Code' is still a thoughtful and intelligent fantasy experience that probably has more in common with DePalma's Hitchcock homage 'Obssession', rather than sci-fi like 'Inception' or 'Star Trek'.
for myself personally, i always like a film that is authentically a film and doesn't rely to heavily on something like a large budget, star power, or gimmicks, and use them as a crutch to avoid achieving any real inventiveness or clever plotting and structure. 'Source Code' is definitely that kind of film and Duncan Jones seems to be that kind of filmmaker. genuine and original, relying on personal inspiration and imagination rather than showy, flashy tactics.