Jesus, I think I am about to attempt a movie review. This could turn out to be disastrous, but I will let you be the judge of that. Don’t you think most movie reviews are so over-complicated, and in some cases a little pretentious? Nobody seems to review movies for the normal people among us (similar to how terms & conditions are never readable for us non-lawyers).
Well, here is – possibly – a first. A stupid guy from Bristol reviews a movie. Specifically, The Source Code.
I’ll be honest, we (that’s my girlfriend and I) wanted to see Limitless but it’s now only showing in the Directors Hall in my local cinema, and I wasn’t willing to pay £15 a ticket or whatever it costs. Special celebrations, or payday are the only two occasions that warrant such an expensive movie viewing.
Anyway, The Source Code was our second choice. Mainly down to the good reviews it had received on RottenTomatoes.com (the ones I could decipher anyway!).
Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead in this cross between Groundhog Day, Inception, and TV classic Quantum Leap. To be honest I’ve not watched many movies starring Gyllenhaal – off the top of my head Jarhead is the only previous experience I have of his career thus far. Regardless, the American puts in a decent enough performance, but not mind-blowing.
Gyllenhaal plays Colter Stevens, a US Army helicopter pilot. At the start of the movie he wakes up on a train despite his last memory putting him at the controls of his chopper in Afghanistan. A woman he doesn’t recognise is sitting opposite him, and talks to him as if she knows him – much to his confusion.
He goes to the toilet cubicle, only to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticing that he is not Colter Stevens, or at least does not have his face. After 8 minutes, the train he is travelling on blows up, however Stevens wakes up in a pod of some description.
After much confusion, he begins to talk to a woman called Goodwin through a monitor who explains that he needs to find the bomber of the train. Just as before, you will have 8 minutes…..
The premise of the movie is that scientists have formulated a method of taking someone else’s identity and reliving the last 8 minutes of that person’s life. A military unit is attempting to use this discovery to prevent terrorist attacks.
A train has been bombed in Chicago, but intelligence suggests there are further attacks to come – which must be prevented. Using the Source Code (the name given to this far-fetched scientific discovery), Stevens is sent back to relive the last 8 minutes of one of the train passenger’s life, and unravel the mystery to prevent any more attacks.
Complications arise when Stevens begins to fall for the woman sat opposite him on the train (played by Michelle Monaghan). Will he find the bomb and who planted it? You will have to go and watch to find that one out…
Many reviewers have slated the ending, but personally I liked it. Yes, there is a twist, and does leave you a little confused for a while. But, I found it imaginative and in keeping with the rest of the movie.
As a whole, I enjoyed The Source Code. It was fast-paced, and you do find yourself trying to work out who the bomber is – and what the hell is happening to Stevens, and why he appears to be trapped in a pod with no exit. The movie keeps you guessing, and requires enough ‘thinking’ or ‘analysing’ to demand concentration. I don’t doubt that there will be some viewers who do not get the plot, and walk out the screening scratching their head in bewilderment.
My rating 7.5/10
Well, there it is, my first ever movie review…. Go on, be honest – how s**t was it? If it was that bad, watch the trailer instead;





In the last week or so my girlfriend’s iPhone 4 has suddenly started suffering from a very short battery life. A fully charged battery was suddenly lasting only 6-7 hrs with moderate usage (Facebook usage and a few calls).
Ok, the title of this post may be a little deceiving if you are actually looking for reviews of certain brands of fake tans. It’s time to confess, I am completely against fake tans. I would actually go as far to say I bloody hate them – my girlfriend will confirm this as I am constantly telling her to stop getting spray tans!
Gillette – The best a Man Can Get.
