Director: Jeff Chan
Writers: Chris Pare, Jeff Chan
Cast: Kari Matchett, Robbie Amell, Penny Eizenga, Stephen Amell, Jai Jai Jones, Kyla Kane
In a world where some people are born with powers, a super-powered electric joins a group of criminals. He needs the money he will gain in order to save his ill mother.
A badly executed premise
The concept of “code 8” is excellent, and this could have been so much more.
Like in the X-men universe, people are born with powers. These humans are treated as “specials.” Most people fear them and consider them to be outcasts.
Most people with gifts have similar powers. In “Code 8,” the film focusses on Connor Reed (Robbie Amell), who has electric powers. There are different levels, and Connor has highly leveled electrical powers.
Powers aren’t allowed to be used in this world. If someone does use his powers, he/she gets arrested. Drones are surveilling with robots attached to them that are ready to kill if necessary.
Stephen Amell’s character, Garret, recruits Connor for a heist job and sees some potential in him. He mentors him by training his electric abilities. Connor, on the other hand, joins him because he needs the money for his sick mother.
Desperate times demand drastic measures.
So this had a good premise, but why is it bad?
Well, I feel like they were trying to do a mixture of X-men and Blade Runner. Setting a world and building storytelling but few dialogues.
For a movie like Blade Runner, this would work, because they keep things interesting. In this film, everything felt flat. It’s like they wanted to tell you a story without fleshing out their characters.
Yes, they try to make you care about Connor Reed and his mom, but it just doesn’t hit me. And I’m not a devil or something, but I just couldn’t care because of the lack of dialogue.
Some bad casting, even Stephen Amell, was miscast. And I’m a fan of the guy, I’ve watched the entire Tv-show. Maybe it’s me being stubborn and not being able to see him in these kinda roles. Robbie Ammel was okay, thou.
The villains may have been evil, but they don’t really scare you. I don’t feel the danger around them. You know that feeling when you saw the Godfather or Dart Vader, and you just know, “I can’t f**k with those people or otherwise, I’ll get killed.” I did not feel this way about these mob bosses in “Code 8.”
The final act felt flat and was predictable. The filmmakers try to make some emotional scenes, but they just feel “meh ..”
What’s good?
Well, as I mentioned before, I do like the premise. Most powers were used to work with, and they do show that. That’s something nice to see, because, in most superhero films, we never see gifted people use their skills at their work.
Robbie Amell was okay, with a better script, he would have been great. He was an excellent fit for the role and kinda hoped the film would have been better. I kinda wish to see the two Amell’s taking on new roles.
There is some good chemistry between Robbie en Stephen Amell in this film. Is it great? No, but it’s okay. I actually like to see them working together.
I also heard this was a crowdfunded project, and that’s always cool to hear. And I wish more power to independent filmmakers. Even thou, I wasn’t a fan of the film, giving people chances to bring their ideas is always something positive.
Conclusion
Code 8 had much potential but ended up being forgettable. It tried to be something it was not, catching that “Blade Runner” vibe.
I still wish the filmmakers a lot of success in their future projects. And I’ve seen reviews where people really admired their work. This is just my opinion, yours can be different. So give it a shot and let me know if you liked it.
Topazzi World 