7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael ArdenThriller | 100% |
Action | 95% |
Sci-Fi | 61% |
Mystery | 42% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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'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.
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):
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.
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