Checked out a sci-fi/crime movie called Code 8 on Netflix. It’s not a Netflix original and was available for streaming for months but I never pulled the trigger. Box art shows a robot similar to Chappie (the police robot movie from a few years back) but the description sounds like X-Men. So was curious what this mix was… but not that curious.
So, yeah, Code 8 is about our modern world where super powered people appeared in the early 20th century. At first accepted in society but that soured and now they are second class citizens, oppressed by a police force that uses armored drones and robots to keep them in line. The film’s protagonist has electric powers that he tries to keep to himself… until he gets wrapped up in a generic crime drama.
And that’s the issue with this movie… it’s really just a generic “in too deep” cops and crooks underworld story. There’s nothing unique or interesting about this part of the movie and you could remove all X-Men powers or robot cops and have the same flick. Nothing wrong with crime dramas in general, if they are done well. This one is not.
So I could hand wave and talk about a movie that wants to say something about the underclass or how it uses X-Men ideas in a unique way, but why bother? That’s just window dressing and hooey. What matters is how well its crime story holds up… and it doesn’t hold up well. Its just a bunch of generic, dull cliches.
So maybe if you enjoy crime thrillers that are right out of a generic screenwriting playbook, it might be worth catching this “free” on Netflix. I wouldn’t bother but maybe my tolerance for this kind of movie is too low. I dunno.
Score: 58