DVD Reviews

Code 46

I have a very simple philosophy when it comes to movies. I just want to be entertained. A lot of times I don’t really care how I’m entertained. It could be through mind-blowing special effects, beautiful cinematography, an amazing score, witty dialogue or, which is hardest to find, an incredibly acted and intelligent story. Code 46 had all the elements in line to be an entertaining movie with all the aforementioned hooks. It was amazing to see how it hit the mark on a lot of them but was still so agonizingly un-entertaining!

I’ll start with the positives. Code 46 stars Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton. I really like Tim Robbins films, Samantha Morton doesn’t really do much for me, but she is a competent actor. The cinematography was really cool; it was unique and very stylized. There were some eye-catching graphics and special effects, and I loved the score. Some amazing music surrounded this film. But then we get to the story. It had so much potential dealing with the future, government controls, genetics, and moral and ethical obstacles confronting the lead characters. You have to ask yourself then, how could something so promising fail so miserably?

This movie about forbidden love was so painfully boring. Good movies find a pace in the editing that propels you through the story, keeping your interest, and keeping you in touch with all the elements required for you to stay immersed in the film. The pace in Code 46 was so slow, and at times the story was confusing because I missed out on some key elements. Maybe I’m a bit slow, and just didn’t keep up. Maybe nodding off in a movie doesn’t help in following the story. Whatever the case, all I can say is that this was a major let down on what could have been an interesting and compelling movie.

Technically everything works for this DVD. The picture is amazing, and the sound is right up there. A couple of times I thought the dialogue was drowned out in the mix, but that could have been an intended thing. The features are not too numerous. They include deleted scenes, a featurette on the film, the original theatrical trailer and some other MGM trailers. I highly recommend watching the featurette. It’s better than the movie, telling you everything you need to know with much less agony involved than with watching the main feature. Ignore the deleted scenes… Unless you need to kill two minutes of your day.

Code 46 is about breaking the rules and facing the consequences. Well the movie makers broke the rules of good movie making. You choosing not to buy this DVD could very well be the consequence they face.

Review By A.J. Leitch