Source Code

Wikipedia listed this as a "science fiction/techno-thriller"... As the concept of a "techno-thriller" is hard to define, I'll settle for "science fiction/thriller". For what Source Code is able to pull off in 93 minutes is astounding, and with a little bit of shock value and some tear-jerking moments towards the end has already given me reason enough to reach for the 5 star rating.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the part of Captain Colter Stevens who after a mission in Afghanistan wakes up to find himself in the body of some other guy on a moving train opposite Michelle Monaghan. Personally, the idea of waking up facing Michelle Monaghan has become the subject of a few dreams myself over the last few days since watching this film, but I digress. Stevens finds that he appears to everyone, and including himself in his own reflection, that he is Sean Fentress, a history teacher. Once he's come to terms with this unusual setting of events, the train blows up.

Colter then finds himself in a specialized cockpit which is part of the Source Code project, where he has the ability to basically travel back in time for eight minutes in the body of another being; over and over and over again. His mission, find out how the train blew up, who blew it up and why, and with what, etc., and prevent another potential dirty bomb from detonating. We find Gyllenhaal being re-inserted into the Source Code over and over and over until the very end. This movie is a mix of the Quantum Leap TV series, which I currently own in its entirety (yes, big time travel nut here) and 12:01, a movie that's not particularly well known, that involves a time-loop...

Now, one thing I noticed when I was watching the movie was hearing the voice of Colter Stevens' father, played by Scott Bakula... I nearly fell out of my chair in delight... Reason being? Scott Bakula's character in Quantum Leap, was that of Dr Sam Beckett, a man who kept leaping through time and whose consciousness popped into particular people's bodies; rather much like Colter Stevens did here! It's a nice little homage to Quantum Leap fans who would pick up on this little Easter egg within the film itself.

I've given this film 5 stars for originality and clever use of time travel concepts, and also for the little well-related cameo!