Movie Review: Code 8: Part II is an honest, simple and interesting sequel
Ordinary people who become extraordinary when they acquire extra human power or abilities is a very recurring theme in the superhero genre, whether in comics, novels, movies, video games, and more, each of them tries to tell their version of things by opening the possibility of new universes, new franchises, and new sagas that aim to be to the taste of locals and strangers.
Independent productions such as Unbreakable (2000), Sky High (2005), Hancock (2008, Jumper (2008), Push (2009), Chronicle (2012), and Power Rangers (2017) to name a few, the streaming giant Netflix has also collaborated with Code 8 (2019), Project Power (2020), The Old Guard (2020) and Samaritan (2022) have been their projects that have tried to compete with the large productions of Warner Bros and Marvel Studios respectively.
We know well that this genre is already very worn out, there are no new things that can show us and surprise us now or it is the remake or it is the reboot of everything that we already know and that they try to tell over and over and over again, on the one hand we have to the mutants in Marvel and on the other hand we have other types of mutants on this platform.
Code 8 had a very different premise, its approach of people with abilities that they could not use because they were considered dangerous to the rest of the rest and forming rebel groups to help citizens had its moment, the plan was to make all of this a new saga that will further explore what happens with these super powerful ones, in 2024 director Jeff Chan returns with Code 8: Part II that promises to have more action than his first installment.
What is the movie about?
Five years after the events of Code 8, the LCPD has reformed its military technology division program by replacing the armed humanoid robots known as Guardians with non-lethal K9 robots, Pav (Sirena Gulamgaus), a teenager with special abilities, seeks the help of an ex-convict (Robbie Amell) and his ex-accomplice (Stephen Amell) after witnessing the murder of his brother by these new robots and their subsequent cover-up, together they will face a unit of corrupt police officers who use advanced robotic technology to avoid being exposed.
Thinking about this being a nascent film saga was to be expected, although its first part was well received we were left with more questions than answers that we believed would never be answered, this could be a strong sequel that could almost feel more evolved and more complete, the films place us in a world where 4% of the world’s population are people endowed with a special ability, which means that they have some type of mutant power that they can use for good or evil and it is proposed that they cannot there are good people without people being doing the opposite and benefiting from this.
The first film focuses on the construction of this world and the presentation of its characters, this sequel, and with the previous already stated focuses more on a story about the powerful oppressing the weak and about the rights that each one has and how they do justice, from corruption in large government and military spheres to those who are persecuted for defending their values and ideals and what both sides are willing to do to avoid crossing that fine line between those who are considered fugitives and criminals and those who are considered fugitives and criminals. Corrupt police officers seeking to gain the power to control everything.
This second installment begins when Connor (Robbie Amell) finishes his prison sentence, he pays his part for the crimes committed and more without ratting out anyone else who was involved, having paid his debt and feeling good about himself, he now works as a janitor in a center community, an unnecessary site for that world, he likes to be busy and maintain a very low profile in addition to not wanting to know or have anything to do with his former criminal partner Garrett who is still on the streets. Garrett sees Connor the day he gets out of prison and tells him that he owes him a favor for taking the blame and not ratting out anyone, an event that will be important later, however, all Connor wants from Garrett is to never meet again. never see him again something that Garrett is not willing to fulfill so easily because he has plans to continue with this alliance and this “friendship”
Connor’s idea of living calmly and without problems away from the criminal world changes radically when he wants to help Pav, a teenager who is being chased by corrupt police officers. From the beginning, he considers that in this world things are not what they seem. and you cannot trust others, there is a very thin line between police officers and criminals and alleged criminals, when you are chased the only ones who can help you escape are the criminals who have connections within that underworld.
It is very interesting how you have a clear vision of how both sides operate, on the one hand, the police within all their corruption is organized so that the citizens who know what is happening do nothing about it, and on the other how criminal groups and fugitives are organized with the skills to not be discovered and continue operating without the world knowing that they exist and what they are willing to do to protect themselves and others.
Connor feels a very special connection with Pav and decides to help her, his pursuers are led by Sergeant King (Alex Mallari Jr.) who we can define not as the typical antagonist but as a specific son of a bitch who doesn’t even care about the laws. nor the others if this does not bring him a benefit that is mostly economic, much to his regret and after everything that has happened to him he sees the need to ask for help once again from Garrett and his team, it will be quite a feat that they manage to agree and put aside their motivations for a common goal that does not benefit either of them.
In the first part, we met some variations of Superhumans, this sequel has new characters with new abilities, the main story is that of Pav who is a “Transducer” She can connect with communication devices, hear and see in her mind everything that is is transmitting, having this ability is dangerous for a corrupt police force and for anyone who does not want their secrets to be revealed or at least known to a stranger, upon witnessing the death of his brother he discovers that there is something else, a well-kept secret that if it came to light it would change everything they have known until now as their security.
The secret Pav uncovers is directly related to the LCPD’s new non-lethal robotic dogs known as K9. apparently and then we know it’s true these robots are interconnected to a central brain that has a hidden directive one that Sergeant Kingston is leading after the robotic officers of the previous installment, the Guardians, created a lot of controversy and mistrust due to their brutality, something is taken out of Terminator (1984) and the goal of the LCPD is to avoid violence at all costs or at least that is what they make citizens believe without revealing their true intentions.
The K9 that Pav sees carries with him a needle with enough Psyke to cause an overdose, murder without the police being involved, even though the brother surrendered and with his hands up Kingston orders the robotic dog to inject him with the drug until they kill it, the last thing these robotic dogs do is protect others. They are just a more effective and violence-free way to get rid of people with special abilities, and for that and many more things they were created.
It is inevitable not to make a comparison with the episode of the series Black Mirror in its 4th season in episode 5 titled Metalhead where in a shocking black and white we see very similar creatures, it is not surprising that being also a product of Netflix these universes are connected later and this may be a less evolved version, being aware that they cannot flee forever especially when the alert has been given on television that they are fugitives and that the police have their data and the necessary resources To find them, Connor and Pavani plan to expose Kingston’s hidden plan to the world.
As expected and very predictable, Garrett pretends but betrays them, he has been collaborating with Kingston for several years and paying the police so that his business prospers and goes unnoticed, an agreement that allows him to offer more humane conditions to cerebrospinal fluid donors and return money to the community, a noble act with good intentions but one that is based on illegality and that removes too much credibility from what it does and why it does it.
Connor and Pav’s plan is to steal Kingston’s personal K9, which contains the videos they need to expose him, which will not be easy. First, they will have to face the police and then the robot who is not so willing to let them know. information that is encrypted is copied or stolen, the action handled here has a dose of suspense that makes this film one of the best planned in terms of its sequences. Garrett tries to negotiate a new deal with Kingston using the blackmail of knowing about the videos but things don’t go well as the sergeant stabs him and breaks into the building looking for Pav to eliminate her before she reveals anything he already knows.
The confrontation between police and criminals is inevitable while Connor faces a K9 and his lethal needle full of Psyke, Pav finds a way to help him by controlling his ability affecting his technological devices with his weakened powers they manage to leave the building with the memory device and they can send the images to the whole world through the camera of a television crew and this is how the death of Pav’s brother is broadcast throughout Lincoln City, it is also revealed that Kingston has powers that he hid to rise through the ranks in the LCPD and is arrested.
Three months later, the future for everyone looks hopeful, Connor has reopened the community center offering a safe place for children like Pav and people who have been persecuted or have no resources, Lincoln City is recovering and Kingston is found guilty of massive corruption and the K9 program is suspended and under a deeper investigation involving senior military officials, the city council announces that to help those affected by the Kingston crimes they will pass a bill that will release millions of dollars to the community of Monumental Hill and will restrict the use of robotics as citizen protection since Psyke’s rates are increasing and come from an unknown source.
In the last scene, we see that Garret is serving his sentence in the Lincoln City prison while his organization continues to operate on the streets now in a much more discreet way, which opens the possibility of a third party that at some point will see the light.
The fact that most of the technical team returns make this production feel like a sequel and not like a self-contained independent film. Director Jeff Chan knows very well how to handle drama and action sequences without any of them losing impact. In the audience, the writers Chris Paré, Sherren Lee, Jesse LaVercombe, and Chan himself take elements from films and television series and do not worry about hiding it, the message is clear and forceful, and values such as friendship and helping are present since the previous installment, assuming the consequences of actions and blah blah blah is very trite and here it works without having to be so obvious and pretentious.
The special effects and the creation of this decadent world have evolved, the new characters and their new abilities make this universe more and more concrete, the K9 looks sinister, dangerous, and imposing, as secondary antagonists they are a good resource at the service of the plot and that could give more as a subplot and know more in-depth about its creation, its time on screen is just and bordering on only what is necessary, there are no shots or scenes in which we see that there are thousands of them on the streets accompanying to police officers or doing what they are supposed to do, they are simply lethal machines and that’s it, there is no further explanation, the powers that these characters now present are telekinesis, electrokinesis, cryokinesis, pyrokinesis, techno kinesis, telepathy, healing, super strength, shapeshifters, high-resistance skin, camouflage, and super speed that if they had been more developed would have more impact.
The fault it has is that although the story is interesting and the script is well structured, the time that has passed between its first part and this one, that everything happens 5 years later as it has been in real-time makes us think that this can also be used to tell stories that exist with other characters in that period, there is a lot of material that can be used in the right way and this work shows that things can go from good to better.
The cast is made up of Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sirena Gulamgaus, Altair Vincent, Alex Mallari Jr., Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Aaron Abrams, and Jean Yoon who do what they should do with their characters, the chemistry between the Amell brothers is The strongest point, the jokes and interaction they have is real and we see that they are having fun embodying these mutants.
Ryan Taubert returns as composer of the soundtrack, doing a much superior job than the previous one, each piece is perfectly designed to be part of what we see audiovisually, he is another character that has the importance and relevance of him.
In conclusion, Code 8: Part II is a good work despite its non-existent promotion, it is honest, simple, and very interesting that develops, concretizes, contributes, and entertains but once again leaves us with more questions than answers, it does not offer more answers, unfortunately, It does not explore beyond what we see, it does not risk telling everything or revealing more data that could be important, so we will surely have to wait for a possible third chapter.
Code 8 and 8: Part II are available on the Netflix platform.
