Make Those Seconds Count: Source Code (2011)

I rarely take it upon myself to venture out to the theater, however, when I do it is for a film that I know will benefit from a big screen and surround sound.  Given this, Duncan Jones' Source Code provided precisely such an experience.  Clocking it at a little over an hour and a half the film is not a burden to watch and passes through quite nicely; more so, not including Jake Gyllenhaal the film is full of lesser-known actors.  As a result, no performance is over the top and the characters work together as opposed to vying for the spotlight.

The film's plot centers on time travel, so I will avoid to much explanation as to avoid spoilers.  Simply put, the film follows one Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal), as he attempts to discover the source of a Chicago train bombing.  However, it is made blatantly clear that Stevens in doing so in the body of a deceased train victim...as the terrorist attack has already occurred.  What ensues is a cinematic feast of quantum physics and time travel all leading up to a heart-wrenching phone call between two parallel times.  The film is not flawless in its portrayal of time, but does a decent enough job for a big budget film.  For an excellent time travel movie, visit the 2004 indie film Primer.

The film is political in its nature, focusing on the disconnect between bureaucratically driven warfare and the actual soldiers fighting.  It comes at a time when the War on Terror lingers, despite a liberal government in office that promised its imminent end.  Furthermore, the film deals with issues of the body and mind and how the two interact in a rather direct manner.  I appreciate this, as it is one of the few philosophical issues of which I possess knowledge.

In essence, this is a great theater movie, and it should be in your dollar theater for a few more days.  Watch it, love it and hope more Hollywood films put this effort into being enjoyable.