Code 46

Code 46 is a film that puts its heart ahead of its head. Fortunately there are times when I can cherish such an endeavour so it worked for me, but I'm not the sort of viewer to tune out my head entirely so it didn't entirely work. For a plot, we have an fraud investigator in a dystopian future falling for his chief suspect. There's romance and plot developments, but the romance is key, the film is a study in wistful mood over and above its narrative. The driving force is the sparking of love in a time of such uncertainty it seems near impossible, a future of uncertain (and perhaps dangerous) genetic identities and instant personality alterations. A time in which mankind has gone so far with genetic experimentation that intrusive legislation and rigid border controls are the governments only tool to keep things under control, with Tim Robbins as or protagonist working to do just that. Now the above might give the impression of science fiction intrigues in a distant new world, but the design is modern with little visually (apart from a pretty awesome road junction) to set it apart from our world, generally conversation and some cold interior designs are what creates its sense of future. As for intrigue, well this gets us to the trouble with the film. Thematically, the potential is high, but by and large the issues are little more than brought up and laid down, if brought up at all. So no serious delving into the moral and biological consequences of events, nor the problems raised by personality alteration viruses, nor even much of a process of realisation/rebellion by our lead. What's there instead is charm, a gentle look at quiet, irresponsible burgeoning romance, deftly essayed by the leads and buttressed by sweet presentation. Tim Robbins does well in suggesting a questing soul beneath a smiling, sincerely insincere exterior, while Samantha Morton is a delight as the object of his affections. With hair cut short and a childlike naiveté she near shimmers in other-world loveliness, a truly likable turn. They have fine chemistry too, so their relationship is a fine one to ride with, much aided by the cinematography and score. Some places look suitably sterile here, but a lot of places are shot with soft, dreamhaze hues as if coming to from a medicated slumber, fitting to the plot. The music, mostly from The Free Association is wistful and shoegazey, again appropriate. The ending does however really spoil the mood established by the wordless score by employing a Coldplay song. I'm probably biased because I loathe Coldplay anyway but even taking that into account I don't think any vocals would really have suited the end of this one. I'm in danger of selling this one perhaps more than it truly deserves, but I did like it a lot. The lack of substance is a big drawback, but maintains a near constantly pleasing tone even if I wasn't thinking much about it after viewing. 7/10 from me, one for romantics methinks.

I liked how the movie didn't scream at me, trying to deafen me with whatever kind of message the actors and director wanted to convey... I had to work a little bit to see what there was to be seen - which I like, and I found the lack of CGI and laser guns thoroughly refreshing. The pace was right, and the music fit the mood of the movie.

The movie as a whole has a distinct human quality like I used to enjoy in those 50's sci-fi stories the way Philip K. Dick could write them. The same atmosphere that's usually gone in Dick's flashy Hollywood rewrites.

The intercultural lingo is a lot of fun to listen to, it's not too tacky and not too overdone, it sounds almost natural to me.

All in all a good 8 out of 10 stars from me. If there was more of a puzzle to be solved throughout the film (it does have you wonder where things are going in the beginning) I would have probably rated it even higher, because I like my stories a little mysterious and not too straightforward. I can imagine that some people find the acting slightly too bland for their tastes, but I feel it's far better to err on the side of caution than to produce another vehicle for overacting and improbable characters.

In the near future, Tim Robbins is sent to investigate a case of forged passports. This Orwellian government has strict control over everything. Unfortunately for Tim, he falls in love with a girl with whom he is not DNA-compatible, a violation of code 46.

Code 46 is derivative of course but ultimately it is fresh cinema, and there are several sub themes about science and morality to think about.

Most unique, i thought, was its vision of Shanghai where it seems only half the people are Asian, and everyone speaks English with just a few fundamental phrases from mandarin and Spanish. I am guessing that demographics and language are both controlled by the government. Incidentally, the classic book/movie Clockwork Orange showed a anarchistic world where English developed chaotically into a Russian mix as that was its geopolitical vision.

There are few great science fiction movies, i think this one is close to being great but in the end I think it lacked drama. But if you like science fiction, you will love this.

There are not many movies I would take time to comment on, but this is definitely one of them. I really love the mood and atmosphere in this film, its very soft and slow, which proves to be very effective in escalating the sexual tension to Mount Everest levels.

The acting is superb throughout, with Samantha Morton being particularly outstanding, sexy and bizarre, a cocktail that woos Tim Robbins over and over again. Her brief graphic nudity scene was definitely an original in mainstream cinema, I'm not sure what reaction the director was hoping to get from it? but I personally feel its wasn't required, don't forget, its the things we don't see that excite us the most.

It seems that every futuristic film is compared to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, which I feel is always unfair, as Blade Runner is a classic in ever sense of the word, a true high point in the history of cinema. Code 46 does have certain parallels, forbidden love, futuristic worlds and an excellent morose tingling soundtrack, but Code 46 stands out on its own as a fantastic love story, with unique and bizarre complications and a very thought provoking look into the future.

A really good film 8/10.

I loved this film! It was (to my cinematographically uncultured palate, at least) different, and the characters seemed quite unconventional. Rather than just hollow acting, I found Tim Robbins' character to be a mental curve ball, which completely altered the way the film played out. It hinted at the socialisation and culture prevalent at the time.

I also enjoyed the (much-disputed) foreign terms slipped into the conversation - they weren't too frequent, and added a dimension - that there had been purely aesthetic as well as techno/political changes. As English becomes more dominant and other languages in the minority (and therefore more culturally significant), it is likely that foreign terms will be leaked, from the age-old Caucasian tradition of borrowing culture if nothing else.

I also loved the fact that the cityscapes were all filmed to imply the future, rather than CG'd or whatever.

The storyline was innovative, and there were many dead-ends which fleshed out the story and made it less linear. Unlike some, I easily followed the storyline, and I'm rather confused that some people felt that it didn't seem to touch on Code 46 itself much.

Interesting concepts, combined with a sense of triviality surrounding much of the technology, helped to create a more textured world, and while nothing was really explained, the evidence was there for you to draw your own conclusions. If you like thinking, definitely watch this film.

~pr0ph37~