Source Code (2011)

Next up is 'Source Code', a recent Cyberthriller that was proclaimed as a thrilling, ingenious trip by some and fairly well accepted by most critics and audiences. My expectations were understandably high but it turned out to be a major disappointment.

The film works on two different layers. Neither one was very enthralling to me.

After a train bombing a Soldier is sent back in the past to find and identify the bomb planter who has announced he had placed another bomb in downtown Chicago. The 'Source Code' - program enables the Soldier (played by Jake Gyllenhall) to relive the last 8 minutes of a dead person, in this case in that train, over and over again. Sounds convincing? Well, good so far.

While his investigations in the past go into one round after another, the Soldier sees himself faced with additional problems in the present. His military supervisors don't seem to tell him the whole truth.

Confusion and anger arise in him. What is this project really about?

From the beginning I was not compelled by this story. It doesn't make any sense by the way - it doesn't have to, I know, but I didnt even buy it within the boundaries of this film probably because the material was not appealing enough (not at all actually) to forgive and/or ignore these problems leaving me in indifference and disbelief.

The cast is not the problem here, though this is not really about character anyway.

Here is the biggest miss: the movie is just not very smart. The concept and structure here, or shall we say the gimmickery used is what it's all about. It determines the film's success or failure. And here it failed miserably. It just does not use the concept in a clever or exciting way.
Of course Gyllenhall's character can't figure the whole thing out instantly but goes through it pretty much without difficulty. There aren't really any surprises in that sense. Everytime he gets just a little closer to success and this way it rather feels like is repetition and thus it gets boring pretty soon.

On top of that it isn't even very original. We have seen this before and way better for that matter.
Think of the great film "Groundhog Day" (1993) where Bill Murray lives not eight minutes but one day of his live over and over again. That was a smart, insightful and funny movie.
Maybe think of Terry Gilliam's great '12 Monkeys', or even (though quite a stretch) 'The Butterfly effect". This one could also be mentioned here (I reviewed it some time ago). Run Lola Run. And then add a little "Jacob's ladder" at the end - sorry for the spoiler.

It was also done similarly in films like 'Next' or 'Deja vu', though these two sucked even more than this did.

There you go. Four titles that you should seek out before 'Source Code'.
Director Duncan Jones, whose first feature "Moon" was a surprise in 2009 and definately worth checking out, can not satisfy with this follow-up.