What Can You Do In Eight Minutes??

After a hectic school week, I needed a small get away. So this weekend my usual trip to the movies was a nice mini vacation. The movie I went to see this weekend was Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and directed by Duncan Jones.

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Review

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role of Capt. Colter Stevens, a helicopter pilot who has been entered into a government project dubbed the Source Code. Colter is thrown back in time, into the consciousness of a different man, "Shawn," who was on board a Chicago-bound train when it suddenly exploded, killing everyone on board. He’s  told by Army suit Goodwin (Farmiga) and the pragmatic Dr Rutledge (Wright) that he’s in the ‘Source Code’, a computer program that lets him live the last eight minutes of someone else’s life. Colter has about eight minutes to solve the mystery of where the bomb is located and who placed the explosives. While trying to accomplish his mission, he is distracted by a beautiful woman while forming a relationship with named Christina (Michelle Monaghan).  He can keep replaying the scenario on the train , over and over, until he finds his answers .Of course, Gyllenhaal is a good soldier and wants to go above and beyond the call of duty. That's where the film gets tricky.

The Good

Source Code is a thriller with great suspense, likeable characters and some moments of genuine humor. Gyllenhaal brings sincerity and warmth to his role. I liked how the movie shined a positive light on people in the armed forces like Colter (just the real life versions). Capt. Colter also reminded me of my little brother who is currently in basic training for the army in Georgia So this movie came a little close to home and made me proud of my little brother that one day he will be out there serving for our country. Although the movie was slow for me in the beginning it has a great ending. Maybe it was just because I am a sucker for happy endings! The best part about this movie is that it is short and sweet (unlike the Lincoln Lawyer) running 93 minutes

The Bad

I disliked like how many times Colter went back in forth from “reality” to the “alternative world” without getting anywhere closer to his mission. Therefore as I mentioned earlier the Source Code does not get good until about 30 minutes into the movie.  Another bad thing is that the main plot line can be, at times a little predictable and the ending goes on for just a couple of minutes too long

Overall

I think the  Source Code explains just enough as it goes along to keep viewers informed ,without boggling their minds with too much sci-fi, techno-speak. This movie gets an 8.2 on the Chan-O-Meter. According to Rtt.com, on its opening weekend Source Code came in second in the box office to the movie Hop and brought in a little over $15 million.

On to the next

I have been really indecisive lately and I do not know what movie I want to see next weekend. I do know it will be “Your Highness” (a comedy movie with one of my favorite actresses Natalie Portman) or Hanna (an action movie). What movie do yall think will be better?