Source Code Directed by: Duncan Jones Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga Rating: PG-13 Release Date: April 15, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 4/10
MY THOUGHTS: Source Code looks to be a Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day sci-fi action romp. 35 seconds into this trailer, I half expected Jake Gyllenhaal to utter, "oh boy." He instead exclaims, "no, no, no, no," as if to echo my thoughts exactly. Question: What did I take away from this trailer? Answer: I don't want to see Gyllenhaal act the same "stop the terrorist on the train" scene, over and over and over again.
I have a strong feeling that this film will bomb. The story seems tired, and trains have been recently trumped by Tony Scott's excellent Unstoppable. The cinematography, location, and overall look and sound of Source Code struck me as purely average. Plus, I'm 90 percent sure I've heard the exact same song used in another film's trailer, which absolutely kills me. This whole enterprise just reeks of unoriginality. I have enjoyed the work of both Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga, and they might be able to bring this film up a few notches, but I doubt enough to save the day.
I'm dismayed that director Duncan Jones chose this project to follow up his brilliant Moon (2009). That movie was excellent on all fronts, so perhaps my aforementioned "doom and gloom" box office premonition will be completely errant? Time will tell.
Towards the end of the trailer, Jake Gyllenhaal asks Michelle Monaghan, "what would you do if you knew you had less than eight minutes to live?" And with a smile she answers, "I'd make those seconds count." Gyllenhaal's mouth curls up ever so slightly, hinting at the potential of a "less than eight minute long" love scene. "Oh boy."