Source Code starts off with intensity and does an excellent job of never letting it burn out.
The movie begins with a confused Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wondering how he got on a train when the last thing he can remember is being in Afghanistan. It’s revealed that Stevens is not in his own body, and the train on which he is travelling suddenly explodes.
After the blast, Stevens finds himself in a dark, closed off room, again bewildered as to where he is, and why. He is greeted by another army officer, and eventually the viewer realizes that this is a simulation program, which has Stevens relive the eight minutes preceding the explosion in order to deduce the identity of the bomber. The movie then takes off in full force, incorporating romance, action, a little bit of comedy and a lot of suspense.
Source Code does an excellent job of incorporating numerous plots and twists without seeming to be too overwhelming to the audience.
The viewer has numerous things to try and figure out throughout this movie, from what happened to Stevens before entering the simulation program, to who bombed the train, to what will happen to Stevens’ love interest Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan).
With all these elements going through the viewer’s mind, the movie never has a dull moment.
Although love stories tend to have predictable endings, the identity of the bomber was anything but predictable and the ending establishes just how many different plots interact throughout the movie. Audiences will have a hard time expecting most of the twists.
The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, whether you were more into the action and suspense or the relationship possibilities.