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| Scene from Source Code |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
Source Code (2011)
- Alternative To -
Warcraft (2016)
If you're a fan of movies this week, it might end up being a bit of a rough one for new releases. Director Duncan Jones appears after five years with his latest film Warcraft. It's based on the famous online game series of the same name, and it presents a fantasy world with a story that may appeal to niche and familiar audiences, but is definitely isolating those who don't know a thing about the sensation. In fact, it does seem likely to create all sorts of conflict for those wanting to take Jones seriously. Having started off as a promising director, it doesn't seem promising to have his big breakthrough be a film that has been called "The Battlefield Earth of the 21st century." There's few films being regaled as this bad. It might even make you forget that Jones is a good director.
That is why I present to you an alternative. If you want to believe that Jones is a director worthy of high concept sci-fi, then look no further than the last film that he made: Source Code. It's about a man who keeps trying to complete a task within minute increments to keep disaster from happening. The premise evolves from there, and soon enough it becomes its own study of time travel and deceit in ways that are so fluid that it only makes Neil Blomkamp look far sillier than his lousy track record has. With Jake Gyllenhaal giving a reliable performance in which he explores his own personal fate within his futile task, he ends up finding something far more interesting in store.
The idea of time travel is itself a played out concept, even if the past few years have delivered some of the more inspired takes, such as Looper. However, there's something that's still great about Jones' take, which is his sophomore feature, and the first with a substantial budget that allows him to really play up the action and have fun with his story. It's the type of engaging sci-fi that while not nearly as memorable as his first feature Moon, definitely shows the path that he will likely take following Warcraft. He is a smart guy, and he does make some pretty entertaining work with the right material.
That is why I present to you an alternative. If you want to believe that Jones is a director worthy of high concept sci-fi, then look no further than the last film that he made: Source Code. It's about a man who keeps trying to complete a task within minute increments to keep disaster from happening. The premise evolves from there, and soon enough it becomes its own study of time travel and deceit in ways that are so fluid that it only makes Neil Blomkamp look far sillier than his lousy track record has. With Jake Gyllenhaal giving a reliable performance in which he explores his own personal fate within his futile task, he ends up finding something far more interesting in store.
The idea of time travel is itself a played out concept, even if the past few years have delivered some of the more inspired takes, such as Looper. However, there's something that's still great about Jones' take, which is his sophomore feature, and the first with a substantial budget that allows him to really play up the action and have fun with his story. It's the type of engaging sci-fi that while not nearly as memorable as his first feature Moon, definitely shows the path that he will likely take following Warcraft. He is a smart guy, and he does make some pretty entertaining work with the right material.
The idea of a sci-fi movie hasn't necessarily gone into obsolescent territory, but it seems like great young directors rarely get the chance to shine quite like Jones does. He may not be telling the most intelligent of stories, but the truth is that what he does tell is pretty fun and rich with character. One can only hope that there's fans out there that will be inspired to make their own versions of Moon and Source Code instead of Warcraft. If the legacy of this film's first five years is any indicator, it might not be quite that. Sadly, the film isn't as discussed nor has it solidified Jones' status as a promising director as much as it should. However, it should reassure anyone who feels slighted by Warcraft and think that it was made by a complete hack. The hope is that he only makes one bad movie, and that it isn't a turn for the worst.
In all honesty, I do hope that he rebounds. I know it may be a difficult lesson to learn, especially with Warcraft already over $145 million in China - a country record for an American release. If anything, it will spawn sequels, no matter how poorly it does in America. The question is, will Jones be involved, and will there be an influx of lackluster fantasy films that are made just to appease audiences. One can hope against this, but one never knows for sure, actually. For now, I want to assure you that Jones can do good work with a budget. Just watch Source Code and find out what I mean.
In all honesty, I do hope that he rebounds. I know it may be a difficult lesson to learn, especially with Warcraft already over $145 million in China - a country record for an American release. If anything, it will spawn sequels, no matter how poorly it does in America. The question is, will Jones be involved, and will there be an influx of lackluster fantasy films that are made just to appease audiences. One can hope against this, but one never knows for sure, actually. For now, I want to assure you that Jones can do good work with a budget. Just watch Source Code and find out what I mean.
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