The Village Voice Source Code Review Analysis

 

By Aaron Hills

'Going in Search of Tossed Time in Source Code' – The title gives the reader an idea of Source code’s genre Science-fiction and more specifically Time-travel.

Paragraph one - There's reference to Moon, a previous film of Source Code director Duncan Jones. Readers who have seen the film Moon are informed that the director of that film is the same director of Source Code. Philip K. Dick is then referred to and 'The Adjustment Bureau' a film created based on Philip K. Dick's short novel 'Adjustment Team'. Readers who have read Philip K. Dick's works or seen the film will be able to relate to and understand what is meant by 'Philip K. Dick-like', as they will already know his style of work or have an idea of it and so will also be able to have an opinion as of whether Aaron Hills stating that Source Code is like Philip's style of work is true or not. The term 'high-concept' is used, this is appropriate for readers who have some knowledge of film the industry and not just film as entertainment.

Paragraph two - Begins with a summary of the plot of the film; mentioning actors who played key characters in the film also. This reminds the reader of what happened in the film and informs them of who the actors are. The word “Hitchcockian,” is stated in this paragraph; people who have in depth film knowledge will be familiar with this word and it’s relation to Hitchcock and his creation of suspense in films. These people are of a niche audience and so the review is aimed at a niece audience.

Paragraph three - The screenwriter of Source Code is mentioned, Ben Ripley; those who know of his works will be able to link similarities in Source Code to his previous works and would probably have already known that he was the screenwriter for Source Code; this making the review more suitable for a niche audience, who are interested in film. There is reference to the two films 'Groundhog Day' and '12 Monkeys', which both have similar plots to that of Source Code. Readers who have seen these films will be able to have an opinion on this statement as of whether they agree or not. Hills has picked up on the intertextuality of Source code’s Narrative and that of the films Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993) and 12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995).

The language in this film review is informal, as it has been written as though directed at the reader in a friendly manner, for example “…so let’s try suspending our disbelief…” this is in 1^st person and so is more personal to the reviewer as well relating to the reader, as it comes across as though they are speaking to the reader, instead of the reader reading some text.

There is a small screenshot from the film and caption, “Train in vain: Gyllenhaal boards the unknown.” A clever and quick explanation of the screenshot, as the words “Train” and “vain” rhyme and it’s made clear that the actor Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in on a train he knows nothing about. Details come under this, informing the reader who the director is, the production company of the film and the film’s release date.

Paragraph four – Hills concludes the Source Code film review stating that there is a hidden part of the film’s narrative; Gyllenhaal shows compassion to the other train passengers. The reviewer then goes on to state that he “channels his inner Bill Murray,” the actor who played the main character in the film Groundhog Day and again referencing the intertextuality of the film in Source Code.

The Village voice review of the film Source Code: http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-03-30/film/going-in-search-of-tossed-time-in-source-code/