Sci-Fi ain't what it used to be: not only is their no Phillip K. Dick or Vonnegut, there is no Heinlein, so what you get is lotsa hardware but very little memory or any other kinda software for that matter.
David Bowie's son, born Zoey but changed his name to Duncan Jones, is becoming a pretty good sci-fi director. And since his dad was the original man who fell to earth, he entered the family business through the side bar.
However, what Jones learnt is
1. How to survive on a tiny budget
2. How to tell a story.
3. How to sandblast through the McGuffins
But not,
4. How to script secondary characters or
5. How to add depth.
So, yeah, no Nick Roeg here.
But what there is is a fast tight sci-fi adventure with Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier in a time machine sending him back to the same 8 minutes before a train explodes in attempt to figure out who planted the bomb. He goes back, adds a part to the puzzle, train explodes again, he returns to the present. . It is a fun mish mash of the 6th Sense and Groundhog Day with really just one explosion for expenses.
The movie doesn't stick in your brain, the images are a touch too ugly and the story is so filled with holes, it is difficult to shut them out. The internal logic is based on an irrefutable claim that is refuted -always a no no.
But while you're in the train, it has a great deal of energy and it is satisfying. As first major movies goes it is a success and promises a great deal of success for Jones: this guy has a career.