Some movies are essential viewing – and I was just reminded of a Jake Gyllenhaal classic sci-fi thriller that's set to leave Netflix next week.
Source Code first hit cinemas back in 2011 – wild that it's nearly 15 years ago, eh? – and it still stands up as a solid sci-fi that's almost somewhere between Groundhog Day and Titanic rolled into one.
The movie still holds a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it among Gyllenhaal's top five movies, according to the aggregation site. If you've not seen it, however, then now is your chance.
Source Code trailer
What's Source Code about?
Source Code is about a pilot, Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) who is part of a top-secret military operation which enables him to experience the last few minutes of another person's life, via the government's 'source code' experimental project.
In this instance, that projects Stevens into the body of another man, Sean Fentress (also Gyllenhaal, but not), who died in a Chicago commuter train explosion.
Colter can experience Fentress' last eight minutes of life, his mission to learn how the explosion happened, who the culprit is, and how such disasters can be averted in the future.
The source code project allows this to happen on repeat, however, so we experience those final eight minutes on repeat, with all the frustration that would come with that.
It's also within these repeats that Stevens finds increasing emotion towards Fentress' wife, played by Michelle Monaghan, adding a different layer to the movie.
Source Code isn't your conventional 'spacey' sci-fi, therefore, but it tackles some interesting philosophical issues and the very nature of alternative realities and time. It ticks plenty of the necessary sci-fi boxes in my book.
When does Source Code leave Netflix?
You can watch Source Code on Netflix right now, through until Friday 13 June, after which time it'll depart the best streaming service.
It was brought to my attention, in part, because StudioCanal, the add-on streaming service via Amazon Prime Video, will be the place where you can watch it thereafter (or, indeed, now) – if you fork out the £4.99/month addition for that service.
Similar to how I view Paramount+ via Amazon Prime, a number of supplementary streamers, including StudioCanal, are utilising Amazon as the core hub, if you like, adding strings to its bow.
But yet another streaming service? I think I'm maxed out right now. My budget certainly is, anyway. Good as Source Code is, you'd best catch it before the week is out, eh!
