On February 28, Netflix released the sci-fi action thriller «Code 8: Part II» starring cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell. This is a sequel to the Canadian film «Code 8», which was released in 2019. In the review below, we explain why this modest pseudo-superhero movie feels quite confident, especially against the backdrop of the decline of the superhero genre as such.
Pluses:
realistic, down-to-earth science fiction that deliberately eschews standard superheroics; interesting interaction between the characters of Amell's cousins; some really tense thriller scenes; narrative dynamics that don't let you get bored
Minuses:
the film does not look too ambitious, so a priori it does not claim to be more than a one-time viewing; the largest action scene is not filmed in the best way; the local plot will definitely not surprise you; some moments are conventional
Code 8: Part II
Genre science fiction thriller, action movie
Director Jeff Chan
Starring Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Alex Mallari Jr., Aaron Abrams, Altair Vincent
Premiere Netflix
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
In order to make the first Code 8 happen, its authors Jeff Chan, Chris Pare, Robbie and Steven Amell’s first released a short film of the same name in 2016 and then launched a fundraising campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. With a goal of $200,000, the guys must have been very happy when they managed to raise $2.4 million in a month.
After the theatrical release, the ubiquitous Netflix acquired the rights to show the film, and this purchase was more appropriate than ever in times of pandemic. Although crowdfunding was no longer needed to produce the sequel, the creators of the second part are guided by the same modest approach, both in terms of the scale of the story and the use of cinematic means.
Five years have passed since the events of the first movie. Connor Reed is released from prison and gets a job as a regular janitor at the Lincoln City Community Center. The hero no longer wants to have anything to do with Garrett, who has managed to build his own illegal business and establish mutually beneficial relationships with the local police, and Sergeant Kingston in particular.
The lives of all the above-mentioned individuals are turned upside down after Connor accidentally meets a teenage girl, Pavani, who witnessed police brutality that resulted in the death of her brother. To protect the girl from corrupt law enforcement, Reed turns to Garrett for help, but their new partnership once again leads to unpredictable consequences.
«Four percent of the population has extraordinary abilities. The majority live below the poverty line under strict police control» — The viewer is greeted by an introductory title that reminds us that the situation of people with superpowers has not improved since the first part.
The local alternative set still contains obvious dystopian notes supported by modern technology. Police drones are buzzing ominously over the city, and robots continue to fall out of them and land in a superhero-like authentic way. But that’s not all because nowadays K-9 robots are also on duty: you can’t make a soap opera with them buddy movie about the friendship between a brave cop and his dog partner.
The power of both Code 8 films lies in their overall simplicity. There is no blockbuster with their multiverses, no superhero husk with a set of colorful costumes. The local characters are not burdened with ambitions to save the planet and are guided by surprisingly understandable motives, and their interactions are interesting to watch.
Unlike Marvel’s high-budget flicks, where the motivation of actions, especially of the villains, is often a complete mess, the unassuming Code 8 is much more down-to-earth, and therefore — more realistic and closer to each of us. It’s a kind of X-Men on the lowest setting, but that’s the thing, this verdict looks like a compliment here.
If in the first part the protagonist tried to save his sick mother (a very simple and primitive technique, but absolutely understandable and effective), now he has no profit from taking on the rescue of a stranger child. But the nobility of the character is beyond doubt because he demonstrated this virtue in the original 5-year-old movie when he freed the healer girl despite the difficult circumstances.
The central storyline of «Connor Reed-Pavani» clearly refers, while we’re on the subject of X-Men, to James Mangold’s Logan, where there was a successful attempt to look one step more serious and dramatic than your «genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist». Importantly, for all its seriousness, Code 8 is completely devoid of the over-the-top pathos that Zack Snyder generously sprinkled into the DC universe in the early stages of its development (although the authors do not deny themselves the pleasure of giving a few short slomos here).
In short, Jeff Chan’s low-budget sci-fi seems to boast of getting the most out of the least amount of resources, ignoring the general trends of superhero cinema and its pretentiousness. And such holy simplicity suits it very well.
In isolation from any comparisons, Part II looks far from outstanding, but it is an honest, moderately exciting and, appropriately enough, down-to-earth sci-fi action thriller, with its own small victories and defeats that also take place.
For example, when you’re told that only 4% of the population has the so-called gift, but in reality, wherever you spit — you’ll run into a superpowered person, it’s alarming. And when the story comes to its biggest action scene, where an epileptic camera and chopped-up editing of the late Paul Anderson make its presence completely useless, it’s frustrating.
In general, Jeff Chan and the creative team have made a decent, worthwhile movie for which they should not be ashamed. It definitely can’t surprise, and it’s unlikely to stay in your memory for long, but it does a decent job of serving as weekend entertainment and a warning to corrupt officials. Given the first movie, no one promised much more from the start.