Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Movie Review: Source Code

It's such a shame that this film also got an awful advertising - just like Limitless - as there were absolutely no buzz going into it's premiere. It's so unfortunate because Source Code, I dare say, will go down as one of the more underrated films this side of the summer blockbusters. Seriously.

It was clever, oddly engaging and surprisingly focused. Possibly the first movie this year where I felt so compelled to give my full attention to. I got shockingly hooked and was overly interested in every moment of it. And yes, it actually gave me a good adrenalin rush, which recent action/thriller films failed to do so. Who knew?

Frankly, the cleverly crafted storyline was what separated this film from its contemporaries. Sure, the science behind this was a bit confusing and very far-fetched - contrived even - but the premise in itself was interesting and the script was well written and sharp that the story mainly succeeded not because of the science but on the excellent execution of the concept. I liked how the plot was set up quickly and how everything moved at a brisk pace. It also had enough twist and turns that successfully sustained my interest for the whole duration of it.

I was also pretty impressed with how solid the film was on a technical standpoint. I thought the cinematography was stunning, the editing and camera work were often disorienting but in a good way, the scoring had an unsettling tone that clearly fit the situation and the visual effects that were used in some scenes were fantastic. I also found the direction to be outstanding. I mean, everything could have easily been an incoherent mess if things weren't controlled carefully. So, good job!

Now, I also have to give credit to all three principal actors who did amazingly well with their roles. I thought Jake Gyllenhaal carried the plot forward extremely well. He actually gave a pretty convincing performance. Michelle Monaghan was a bit underwritten, but I thought she brought that sense of humanity into the film. Vera Farmiga also did amazing.

Overall, I thoroughly recommend this film. No, the film wasn't perfect as it definitely had a couple of plot holes here and there, but it's safe to say that the film succeeded in almost everything. Plus, the ending surely brought up more questions than answers, which, on my end, felt right. Haha. One of the craftiest and satisfying thrillers this year by leaps and bounds! Enough said.


RATING: 9/10

13 comments:

Robbie said...

I do not think I will like this movie.

DAM THE NATION said...

Robbie: Why? Because I rated it so high? Haha. I know we have different opinion on some films, but I have a funny feeling you'll enjoy this one.

Aaron Vincent said...

WHAT? Are you serious?

Not enough advertising? The film-makers has released a series of infographics and puzzles over the course of several weeks prior to the release. Not to mention the mind-boggling teasers and trailers they released at least every week. Received glowing reviews from the biggest movie sites after it's advance screening in the US and the UK. It currently seats above Inception and Moon at Rotten Tomatoes. This is certainly FAR from being underrated.

Saying that Christina brought a sense of "humanity" is doing the film a great disservice. Despite it's complicated and idiosyncratic premise, it is VERY HUMAN. Colter's internal struggle on finding out who he is and his reconciliation with his father are some examples of that.

DAM THE NATION said...

Aaron Vincent: Unfortunately, I don't live in the US or UK. I live in a country where the advertising/promo for this movie is ZERO! Do you understand that? NULL.

Of course, I'd be talking about how it was here because I don't know how this movie was advertised in other countries. NO ONE - at least from people that I know - heard about this film and yes, that includes me. If I viewed the film as completely underrated, it's because that's how I see it. Heck, I even had no idea that there's such film until I checked ClickTheCity.

As far as the trailers you're talking about, I didn't see ANY of it and so did 95% of the people I've been interacting lately. So, Sue me.

Thank you very much!

Robbie said...

I didn't even know anything about this movie before this post.

DAM THE NATION said...

Thank you!

Aki said...

I've been waiting for this movie since last year.

Paulo said...

Hope I get to see this movie soon.

Mark said...

i thought this film will focus on C++ and Cobol programming to help me refresh on my degree... tsk tsk. what a waste of money....
LOL
seriously, this is a good film. like i said before, i tend to like movies with less advertisement coz i dont get to expect a lot. lol

DAM THE NATION said...

Mark: This is the movie that you saw me. Hahaha. But yeah, it's a great film! :P

Mark said...

yes this is the one! haha!

DAM THE NATION said...

Mark: BOO! Haha.

kPg said...

What can you say about the ending? For me, the explanation to the last-minute twist felt rushed. That's why I left the cinema confused. Hahaha! I made my own Source Code movie review, by the way. I hope you check it out. Thanks!

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