Code 46 (Review)

Just screams Sci-Fi don’t it?

Code 46 is something altogether new to me, an unnecessarily sci-fi film. That doesn’t mean it is a terrible movie or anything like that, it is OK, just that the sci-fi elements, add precious little to the film and seem to only exist to make it somehow different or more important than it is.

Code 46 is set in the future, and relates to a new law designed to keep DNA pure and the gen pool clean. More specifically it is enacted to prevent inbreeding and impurities created by having two partners that are too genetically similar producing offspring.

So we start in Shanghai, only it’s future Shanghai, where the atmosphere seems largely gone so even being exposed to the sun for short periods is health-threatening, and a hazy smog is everpresent. So people only go out at night and generally sleep all day, sort of a perpetual teenage existence.

Our narrator Maria (played by Samantha Morton) is enjoying a birthday and relates a story regarding a dream she has each birthday for some reason. The dream progresses each year and promises to expose itself in full this year, giving Maria a potential look at her future. So she decides to remain awake through her entire birthday for fear of uncovering a future that she does not want (or to remove any surprise should her dream actually come true).

Into her environment comes Tim Robbins as William, an investigator looking for an employee making fake passes out of the “protected areas” of Shanghai, those with physical imperfections are kept in the inhospitable areas surrounding the city, and most live short, troubles lives and are unable to move freely through their surroundings and especially other countries and zones.

William has a gift that seems largely due to him being introduced to a positive virus (which I first remember seeing on a ten year old episode of Red Dwarf, wonder if that’s where they ripped the idea from?), the virus in this case gives him the uncanny ability to practically read the mind and see through the person he is speaking to after being told one fact about them, regardless of how unimportant or irrelevant it may seem. An early example has him correctly guessing the password of an employee to convince her to let him into certain “out of bounds” areas.

After one visit and a few interviews William gets his man, only he gives up another employee for some reason and protects Maria, who he has only just met but obviously feels something for, probably pants-driven given they shared only a few moments.

That’s why Sarandon left you is it Timmy?

Moving on, William is due to leave that evening but purposefully bumps into Maria at the subway as she leaves work and cadges his way into an impromptu dinner, after which Maria invites him along for anyone’s dream date, a nightclub featuring Karaoke, it seems people are stupid even in the future.

Over the evening Maria ‘fesses up and asks why William covered up for her with her boss, then perhaps to rub it in his face she brazenly introduces William to the guy that she stole the passes for in the first place, then explaining in detail how she did it, almost daring him to dob her in.

Once again the throbbing in the Levis wins, and William tags along to Maria’s humble flat where they share an evening of unadulterated snerting each other.

Right, one night stand over, work done. William heads back to his home in the US (I think) to be with his wife and young son, only shortly after his return he gets the call from the boss every employee dreads.

“You fucked up William, go back to Shanghai and fix this shit, or I’ll do it for you.”

So every cloud right? William thinks he’ll have another crack at Maria, only she is gone, gone, gone.

Gorn.

Over the brief period he was away Maria apparently underwent a medical procedure, left her employer and the protected zone and ended up being an outsider, unable to return. Outside William finds he has no pull with authorities, and his viruses don’t work, so he is forced to use his “gasp” brain and quick thinking to get Maria out.

It shouldn’t be a spoiler from the title that Maria was in breach of Code 46, and that in fact she was found to be pregnant with William’s bubba. As a result of the procedure though her memory was wiped clean of every experience involving William.

And here is where I think the movie loses its way a little, William spends the rest of the movie trying to find ways to help Maria, who as said previously he has spent one night with, rather than wipe his brow, say “thank you Jebus” and head back to the arms of his missus and son, both of whom it is made evident that he lurrves.

So for the remainder William and Maria attempt to re-enter the protected zone, so that William can think of what to do next, and another wrinkle is that Maria has also been given a virus that forces her body to reject the physical advances of anyone who might bring about a Code 46 violation, specifically William, so that any physically intimate contact causes revulsion and pain. This in itself brings quite an odd scene into the picture featuring pointless nudity that left me confused as to why it was needed, (and I’m a guy that doesn’t mind the odd bit of nudity!).

How things end here is not very important, in my mind William was always doomed once he left the woman he loves and his son to be with another woman who he found he loves too! Unless you are in a cult or Utah this was never going to end well, especially when sex with that person causes revulsion and frustration, which let’s face it would be more likely once you’re married anyway.

Code 46 seemed underdeveloped to me, I think it was probably only greenlit when the filmmaker introduced the sci-fi elements to proceedings, but as I mentioned before they really didn’t progress the film or make it any more interesting. The film was thankfully low key and not full of its own supposed cleverness, as this would have been a mistake given how straightforward it actually was.

I found myself thinking quite frequently in the second half of the film “Is that it? They’re not going to go another way?”

But they didn’t, so what we have with Code 46 is a vague blend of genres that ultimately don’t find a home anywhere, part (doomed) romance, part drama and a sci-fi topping that don’t really provide any satisfaction.

If it weren’t for the sci-fi theme this might have been called “Business-man cheats on missus while away on a trip with an unremarkable employee”, guess the marketing boffins felt that it wouldn’t look good on a marquee and felt Code 46 more snappy?

Final Rating – 6 / 10. Well acted and I guess intriguing at times, though ultimately the wishy-washy storyline underdeveloped story means that Code 46 won’t stay with you for long.

About OGR

While I try to throw a joke or two into proceedings when I can all of the opinions presented in my reviews are genuine. I don't expect that all will agree with my thoughts at all times nor would it be any fun if you did, so don't be shy in telling me where you think I went wrong... and hopefully if you think I got it right for once. Don't be shy, half the fun is in the conversation after the movie.
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