Limitless

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a writer whose life is going nowhere. He hasn't written a word of his novel, his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) has dumped him, and he's behind on his rent. This all changes when by chance he runs into his shady ex-brother-in-law, who gives him a mysterious clear pill that allows him to access all of his brain power at once as opposed to the 20% that we ordinarily use. Overnight Eddie becomes a charismatic super-genius, capable of wooing any woman and making millions by predicting the stock markets; before long he has gathered the attention of both powerful businessman Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) and other, far more dangerous individuals. And on top of that, his continued use of the untested drug begins to take its toll on Eddie...

I went into Limitless with comparatively low expectations and as such was very pleasantly surprised by a highly entertaining, fast-moving and stylish film that makes good use of its basic sci-fi concept and runs with it to great effect. Cooper makes for a likeable lead, Neil Burger's direction is solid and the script has enough twists and unexpected moments of humour to keep your interest throughout. There are certainly a few issues with regards to unresolved plot threads but ultimately this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film. It's not spectacular, but it is definitely good fun.

VERDICT: Worth seeing.

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Source Code

I'm going to skip the plot synopsis for this review, but that's not just me being lazy - as is often the case with sci-fi films, the less you know about story going in, the more you are likely to enjoy it; the discovery of the various plot revelations is one of this film's most enjoyable aspects.

Source Code is British Director Duncan Jones's follow-up to the excellent low budget sci-fi effort Moon, and shares much of that film's intelligence and heart. However with an expanded budget, this time Jones has managed to craft a superb 90-minute thrill ride constructed around a highly intriguing plot concept that combines action and emotion in equal measure. The compelling and inventive screenplay and excellent direction are well supported by the fine performances of the principal cast (Jake Gylenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright), resulting in one of the best films that I've seen since Inception.

The only potential weakness of the film is the ending -some could argue that it could have ended five minutes earlier and been more effective, but in my opinion I believe that it's justified. I certainly came out of the cinema with a smile on my face and the desire to see it again as soon as possible, which says it all really. Between Source Code and Moon, Duncan Jones has firmly established himself as a director to watch in future and I am very much looking forward to seeing what he does next.

VERDICT: A fantastic film, go see it.

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