Code 8

It is obvious that this Indie Sci-Fi from Director Jeff Chan takes inspiration from the X Men franchise but it also has a Neill Blomkamp vibe. Set in a world where some humans have extraordinary gifts. These powered individuals live in poverty. Their gifts are more of a burden and anyone caught using their special abilities must answer to the law. A powered construction worker played by Robbie Amell falls in with a criminal gang when he desperately needs to raise money for his sick mother.

As aforementioned this film is heavily influenced by the X Men movies but it does have its own unique premise. Sadly the execution of this premise is slightly lacking. Performances by all are commendable. The audience will grow to care for what happens to those onscreen due to some decent acting. However this story would have been better told as a TV series rather than a 1hr 38min movie. The world which is created onscreen is one that can be expanded upon. An episodic TV show would have allowed the created universe and characters to flourish. I have read somewhere that Robbie and Co-star Stephen Amell are actually developing a continuation for the small screen.

Considering that this films production budget was crowd funded and was only a measly $2.1 million the special effects are really quite impressive. This is where the Neill Blomkamp vibe becomes apparent. The robotic police officers in the movie reminded me of the robot designs in 'Elysium' or perhaps 'Chappie'. But it is painfully obvious that it is just a man in a suit rather than a CGI creation. This is where budget constraints are visible. Still the aerial shots of the drones deploying the robots was rather cool. This is a film that does punch above its weight in terms of the visuals effects.

'Code 8' is certainly worth checking out. It's probably a movie that won't linger in the memory banks for long but the expansion of the universe created by this film in the form of a TV show would be most welcome.

Worth watching for a decent mashup of Sci-Fi and Heist genres. Some all-too-convenient plot devices abound along with the now-familiar premise of powered people being discriminated against. It had a chance to be very good and instead was just decent, but I'll watch a decent Sci-Fi flick any time.

People with superpowers are forced to register. They are restricted and live second class lives. Anyone caught using their powers without permission is treated harshly. Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) is an Electric, a person with electrical powers. He works as a day laborer under the radar. He is desperate to save his sick mother. He takes a job from Garrett (Stephen Amell) and it spirals downwards into the criminal world.

It's a sci-fi done on a budget. It's missing that big budget action sequence. It's fitting that it has two CW TV stars because it looks like a small screen movie. When compared to the best budget sci-fi in District 9, this does not have the same cinematic style. The premise is intriguing but it does need to be fleshed out more. It is well on its way and maybe somebody like Netflix will pick up something from it. At the end of the day, it is a TV sci-fi struggling to be bigger than its budget.