
Released in 2020, the action-packed sci-fi film ‘Code 8’ which stars the Amell cousins and is anti-police, did not receive a lot of publicity as it was also released during the pandemic. While a spin-off Series fell through the development of the Quibi app, the franchise has been revived in a new life with a sequel backed by Netflix. Like its predecessor, “Code 8: Part II” uses its high-concept sci-fi to critique the increasing violence of the Militarized Police State, especially during the era when surveillance has become all-pervasive.
The second sequel is set up some five years later in the first film where Robbie Amell plays Connor Parker, a petty criminal who has just been out of prison. can’t remember who plays. He is later recognized by the name Garrett who was the drug lord who Connor was able to strike a deal with to save his ailing mother. All these men are ‘Powers’ which is a name for about 4% of Lincoln City’s population who are doused with superpowers. They reside in poverty and have to be under constant surveillance since they are treated as lower-class residents.
The earlier installment explored how this lack of a more inclusive policy on the ‘powered’ people, made many ‘powered’ people go into hiding or turn into criminal activities for survival. Primary information Indicates that the powers have also been used to make a drug based around the powered people’s spinal fluid called Psyke which is an addictive drug.
In the following segment, the series engaged in processes of trafficking as well as deals made with corrupt cops.
In that film, Connor’s story came together with the straightforward cop Officer Park, played by Sung Kang, resulting in the latter realizing that the police system he worked for was corrupt. “Part II” intends to explore this aspect of the problem in more detail through the ambitious Sergeant ‘King’ Kingston, played by Alex Mallari Jr., who introduced a new K9 robotic program replacing more feral robocops known as “Guardians” from the previous film who indiscriminately slaughtered powered. He’s also got his hands in the Psyke business as well.
King seeks to ingratiate K9 units into the community by throwing a block party where a K9 unit named Piper is introduced to the residents. Although K9s are meant for containment and not destruction, it does come to our realization that once the unit allows a Tarak (Sammy Azero), who is a runner for Garrett, to kill one of them, they can be ordered to kill by a human officer. So does Tarak’s fourteen-year-old sister Pavani, played by Sirena Gulamgaus. A transducer, Pavi is able to disrupt and incapacitate the K9 unit, as well as transmit footage incriminating enough to expose the lunacies of the cops’ claims to have a nonviolent solution to order in Lincoln city.
This particular implication means that King now seeks her dead and Connor has to work with Garrett to ensure that she’s kept safe.
Garrett’s life has become more complicated as he attempts to juggle drug trafficking, community service, and avoiding authorities. There is a character that is absent from this part, the conflicted officer Park, but his associate Officer Davis (Aaron Abrams) features. His purpose there is quite superficial; the idea that he is helping Connor and so on is somewhat confusing from the perspective of the film’s attitude to the police. Is it one rotten apple spoiling the barrel, one man who is failing all the good ones, or is the barrel totally rotten? This is something with which the film is heading towards the finale but does not bother to answer. Such ambiguity does not work.
A part of the intrigue is related to the fact that the story itself is not as well nailed down as it was in the case of the first one that was written solely by Chris Paré. Here he works with Chan, Sherren Lee, and Jesse LaVercombe so maybe it’s a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. One shall not, however, underestimate Chan’s artistic vision though. The main feature of the film is the “big” Detroit” atmosphere which can be found from the scummy community center where Conor is a janitor to the fried food diner where Garett meets him. Everything here is all dreary and depressing.
The action sequences are still ridiculous but enjoyable, with both Amells having sunk completely into the bit, fully committing while tossing objects around, or controlling lightning with extreme solemnity. Unfortunately, how do you forget a sequence that has a power named Tamera Tamera (Jessica Allen) that has the power to erase memories with such ease and is very enjoyable to watch? Also, it is worth noting that Conners’ space-occupying boss, Mina (Jean Yoon) who repulses bullets is a brilliantly new edition.
Sadly, in the first one, the heist narrative provided enough context and romance within its midst with the touch of Connors and his mother’s relationship, ‘Part II’ seems in a rush in every sense involving these characters so that any attachments can be there even if this disillusion of congested polices around trying to attain aspirations. Conversations are held here for the sake of another plot development, a piece of exposition over there. While the brothers try their utmost to make the proceedings sound more substantial, they’re simply insufficiently well-studied in the sophistication of their characters to deliver such a performance. King’s twist in perspective at the end also builds on a critique of violence over community that I feel should have been much more pronounced throughout the film instead of out of the blue.
It is commendable, however, that ‘Code 8: Part II’ tries to address the issue of the militarized police state and copaganda movies in general, the last scene rests on the premise that leake videos of abuse will never see any repercussions on personnel or the system’s very foundation.
In the case of the last four years, one thing that cannot be contested is the fact that it has not been the case for either, Now, I’m not sure if it says more about the state of the world as it is now or about the state of the motion picture industry but the most mind-boggling thing about it is the idea that any city would ever disband its police force due to funds being allocated to a community center instead. I don’t know. Perhaps that’s the sort of optimistic forecast that we as a society should be aiming for at this stage in time.
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