Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Source Code 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2018

Note: For a little (obviously joking) information on how Lionsgate and Summit arrived at its decision to release Source Code on 4K UHD, I refer you to my groundbreaking research as revealed in the opening paragraph of our Knowing 4K Blu-ray review and Push 4K Blu-ray review.

Source Code is one of those “high concept” films where you know virtually from the get go you’re being tricked in some way, and yet it ultimately doesn’t really matter, since the ride (in this case aboard a train seemingly doomed to an impending and perhaps unavoidable terrorist event) is so enjoyable. The first clue that something is amiss is that hero, Army pilot and captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), is asleep as the film opens, nestled up against the cold window of a commuter train making its way toward Chicago (it's a subtle clue that things are at the least dreamlike, and perhaps more accurately nightmarish, throughout the film). The next thing that is definitely amiss is the fact that Colter doesn’t actually seem to be Colter, but a mild mannered teacher named Sean Fentress, who seems to have some kind preexisting relationship with another passenger on the train, a sweet woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). Before Colter (and/or Sean) can really wrap his mind around all of the strangeness, the train goes boom and suddenly Colter is Colter again, albeit this time in a weird, isolated vessel that may remind some of the denouement of the very first Twilight Zone episode, “Where Is Everybody?” Source Code is intentionally misdirectional at several key junctures, until a rather shocking reveal at one critical moment that finally gives the audience at least a little bit more information than Colter seems to have. But what plays like a weird cross between the terrorist aspects of shows like Homeland and the Boolean loop structure of films like Groundhog Day manages to develop a rather surprising amount of emotional heft as Colter is tasked with preventing the train explosion through a top secret project known as Source Code, one which allows him to relive the same eight minutes in his guise as Sean. It’s a fun if slightly derivative premise, and writer Ben Ripley and director Duncan Jones offer an excitingly paced and surprisingly suspenseful journey that may stretch the bounds of believability (even within the context of outlandish science fiction setups), but which offers a number of well executed twists and turns.

In a way, I’d almost recommend newcomers go into Source Code without knowing that much about it, since part of the fun of the film is slowly figuring out what’s actually going on, a realization that is shared at least in part with Colter (there’s one pretty shocking reveal late in the film that some might argue not even Colter is aware of, at least at the moment it’s revealed). However, for those interested, there’s a fitting summary available in Martin Liebman’s Source Code Blu-ray review. Source Code has an Inception like ambience where you’re never quite certain what is “real” and what isn’t, with a series of “nesting doll” realities tucked inside each other, and getting to the point where you can see how everything is interrelated is part of the allure of the film’s structure. The opening six minutes or so of Source Code is a fascinating example of introducing focal characters without really understanding what’s going on, and that whole opening sequence sets a really exciting template that the film follows as Colter relives the same eight minutes repeatedly. While there are certain conceits that simply need to be accepted at face value in order for Source Code's layered storytelling to resonate, some may feel that even a necessary suspension of disbelief doesn’t quite get the film over its final story hump, one where an unlikely kinda sorta happy ending is proffered.

Source Code 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced off the 1080p Blu-ray, which is framed in 1.78:1.

Source Code is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films and Summit Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. This is an interesting production from a technical standpoint, with two different film stocks credited (Kodak and Fuji) and (according to the IMDb) other digital capture incorporated courtesy of Red Cameras. There's therefore a fairly heterogeneous look here, and I'm once again not totally "convinced" (for want of a better word) with the look of the grain field in some of the footage. I'm assuming that at least some of the differences in grain structure and resolution seen in Source Code are due to the different films utilized, but one way or the other there are selected sequences that look fairly noisy, at least when compared to other moments in the film. Keep your eyes peeled on the kind of yellow/tan window wells in the train during the opening sequence (and later return visits), and grain tends to swarm there a bit. It's even thicker and more swarmlike in later moments like one of the closing scenes where Captain Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) walks into the office of Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright). But even in the grainier moments, fine detail has the typical uptick that we often see in 4K UHD versions of 2K DI material. Some of the other sequences, like the many dark cockpit scenes, feature at least marginally improved shadow detail. Dolby Vision has added some interesting new highlights, with a lot of the blues and grays in the train sequences nicely suffused, and some really creamy looking teals in the almost watercolor-esque look of scenery through fogged up train windows. The cockpit scenes look a bit more desaturated in this version, and there's an almost stunning difference in warmth between Captain Goodwin on Colter's cockpit monitor and cutaways to her in "real life".

Source Code 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Source Code's 4K UHD presentation receives a notable sonic upgrade with a very forceful and immersive Dolby Atmos track. The first thing I personally noticed was the kind of stabbing pulses of Chris P. Bacon's effective score offering nice surround placement, but there was also the memorable shot of the goose (I think) connecting with a lake right as the train passes by (a shot that's returned to frequently) that featured on the first excellent discrete channelization placements, something that occurs regularly throughout the rest of the presentation. There's good engagement of the Atmos channels in everything from the devastating explosions that erupt at the end of a lot of the film's vignettes to more mundane things like the background noises on the train. Some of this mix tends to be on the subtle side, especially when Colter and Christina are talking, but even here there are snippets of surround activity as stuff happens in the background on the train. Fidelity is excellent throughout, supporting clean and clear delivery of dialogue.

Source Code 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc only ports over the Audio Commentary with Director Duncan Jones, Writer Ben Phillips and Actor Jake Gyllenhaal from the 1080p Blu-ray disc, so those interested in the Access: Source Code bonus mentioned by Marty in his Source Code Blu-ray review will need to pop in the 1080p Blu-ray disc included in this package. However, much as with the recent releases of Push 4K and Knowing 4K, Lionsgate is offering one new supplement on the 4K UHD disc with a number in its title (evidently Fred and Carl from the 4K reviews cited above have some functionary siblings pitching linking ideas for supplementary material):

• 5 Crazy Details You Might have Missed (HD; 2:01) is living proof that you shouldn't be ready to pooh pooh a brief supplement simply based on similar efforts from other releases (as in the kind of lackluster extras on Push 4K and Knowing 4K). While some of these datapoints may not in fact be new to fans of the film, there were at least a couple interesting tidbits here, including the film's self-confessed connection to Quantum Leap.

Source Code 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Source Code was a lot of fun for me to revisit after quite a few years, and one of the best things that struck me about this film was its heartfelt center documenting the relationship between Colter (and/or Sean) and Christina. Without that emotional tether at the center of the film, audiences might not have cared that much whether Colter succeeded or failed in his efforts to stop a terrorist attack, but it's commendable how quickly that connection is established and how well both Gyllenhaal and Monaghan relay it to the audience. Some of the science fiction aspects of this story are beyond far fetched, but like I said at the beginning of the review, there are times when you just don't care that you're being tricked. This 4K UHD disc offers a noticeable upgrade in video and (especially) audio, though I still didn't always think the grain looked natural in this new presentation.