This short is apparently part of a fund raising effort to make a bigger project, although as 'proof of concept' films go, this one at least delivers within its time. Instead of playing like a trailer, this plays out like a contained episode in a bigger story, so while it does offer more, it is also a good standalone snapshot of this world. Taking the world of Heroes and making them an oppressed minority, we see the exploitation of powers rather than the dominance – which is already a nice twist on the norm. From here it plays out into a dramatic scene which ends open, but is still satisfying.The use of effects is in support of the world, and is nicely integrated into the actual film – rather than being the film, as is often the case with this type of thing. The performances are good throughout; I confess I have no clue who Amell is, or the family name, but he is a good lead here. Also Kang (better known and Fast and Furious' Han) was a surprise find.Overall a solidly enjoyable sci-fi which creates an engaging world and plays out a satisfying scenario. Still a 'proof of concept' perhaps, but a good one.

This 10 minute taster shows great potential of being a crowd puller. I'd suggest you ignore reviews where the reviewer is trying to portray HIS views as being the only one to go to and accept. THAT is more about the reviewer's desperation to being noticed than the film he's supposed to be reviewing. The premise of this film is simple...a dystopian world set in the now where " mutants " with special powers are suppressed, oppressed by a draconian Police force backed up by drones and robots keen to kill if any step out of line and therefore find it hard to make a living and get out of the poverty trap they find themselves in. The cinematography, choice of shots, dialogue, direction and acting all knit neatly together. The 'Special Effects' are very good and the storyline engages you so from the start you're rooting for the underdog. Not all of the Police are brutal though and it'll be interesting just how being a Cop with rules clashes with the need to reach out and understand the plight of those classed as different. I can see parallels being drawn to refugees who just want to fit in but face opposition from those with a nimby* ( not in my back yard ) attitude. It appears that the crowd funding site reacted well to the idea of this project as it received $750,000 when only $200,000 was the target. Now a full length film is coming together. Good luck to those involved and yah boo sucks to you to the self-promoting me me me reviewers...It's not all about you...so stop moaning and allow the audience to make their own choices. You're there to guide and inform...not give a bad review just because you CAN.....

This is a short-turned-trailer for the now greenlit independent feature length film of the same title. While low budget, the premise is sound and looks to be a great jumping off point for a new sci-fi universe. Starring Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People and Flash) is a day laborer struggling to find money for his family's piling bills. It's revealed that some in this world (4% of the population according to the opening flyover) are gifted with mutated abilities that normal humans don't possess, and these people are oppressed and often have to resort to low wage jobs or even lives of crime. Toward the end, Robbie's character is definitely shown to be one of these "specials" as he uses a a bio-EMP to escape police custody after his friend played by Aaron Abrams (Hannibal, Stargate Atlantis) is killed.The film, already having met and far surpassed the goal of 200k dollars on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo is due out toward the end of 2017. Stephen Amell (Arrow, TMNT and Robbie's COUSIN) is an executive producer for the film, and while only his voice made it into the short/trailer, he will be playing a much bigger on-screen role for the feature.

"Code 8" is a 10-minute live action short film that was released on Youtube a couple days ago and quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of viewers. This does not make it a good film though. It takes place in a world where certain people possess super powers and the police fights them with lots of violence when they use them. Pretty generic and uninteresting if you ask me. The mediocre acting wasn't helping either. This is a film that pretty much relies entirely on special effects, visually and audibly, to make up for the lack of a better story. However, at this runtime it is still bearable, but seeing how a full feature film based on this premise got greenlit kinda scares me. I do not expect too much here. I am not a big fan of Stephen Amell on "Arrow" and apparently his popularity is now used to make his little brother a star too. Family affairs like this really suck, especially as Robbie isn't a better actor either. Thumbs down for "Code 8". Don't be fooled by the high rating. I assume this mostly comes from "Arrow" fanboys who automatically love everything that has the name Amell attached to it regardless of the quality. Here it is low quality. Thumbs down.