The first Code 8 that came out in 2019 was somewhat held together by a partially watchable emotional line. The mother-son thread had its moments in a predictable superhero flick. The first Code 8 had a decent idea, which failed to translate into an effective narrative. Code 8: Part II, once again directed by Jeff Chan, also has a decent idea that fails to translate into a juicy, effective narrative. The problems between this sequel and its prequel are quite common.
For starters, Chan doesn't know how to infuse energy into his scenes. The Code 8 movies drag whenever the characters start talking. The lines are delivered flatly, which feels funny given how overly the actors express their feelings on the screen. If you listen to dialogues with closed eyes, you will feel as if someone is reading words from a teleprompter. And if you mute the movie and focus on the acting, you will think the characters are expressing themselves vehemently. The 2019 Code 8 at least had a serviceable emotional angle that - if only inconsistently - sucked us into the film. This sequel, unfortunately, doesn't even have that going for it.
There is a young Transducer named Pavani (Sirena Gulamgaus) who sees her brother getting killed by a K9 (these are electronic dogs that are marketed as unharmful towards perpetrators). One thing leads to another, and Connor (Robbie Amell) is tasked with protecting Pavani from the police, especially the character played by Alex Mallari Jr. This brother-sister bond doesn't add any weight to this story. Even a character's sacrifice doesn't feel very distressing. Only Connor and Garrett's (Stephen Amell) history tethers us to the story, and it will work for you, provided you watch the 2019 film before playing this new installment on Netflix.
But this one thing doesn't really save this science fiction. In the absence of palpable sentiments, we could have used some well-shot, tense action sequences. Code 8: Part II fails to offer this pleasure, too. The scene where Pavani's brother hides from a K9 is not as stressful as it should have been. The fight scenes are shot without rhythm or decent choreography. Nothing on the screen even remotely looks exciting. Apart from one or two twists, nothing in Code 8: Part II appears surprising. The material is sorely generic. Perhaps the filmmakers also knew their movie was not working, which is why they, towards the end, became manipulative. They make us think a character is about to die and then reveal they are absolutely fine. Good for them because the audience, after watching this film, certainly doesn't feel fine.
Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times