Catching up on Netflix queues has become something of a national pastime over the last few weeks, and there’ve been some surprising titles ranking highly in the platform’s top content. Speaking of which, with the streamer continuing to add more material to its library, it’s perhaps a shock that Code 8, an underrated and under-seen sci-fi flick, is currently the number one movie on Netflix’s top ten.
For those not aware, Code 8 is a 2019 Canadian film written and directed by Jeff Chan, who adapted his own short into a feature-length production. The picture notably stars Stephen Amell of Arrow fame, as well as his cousin Robbie Amell, who were also involved in the original 2016 short. Indeed, the success of Code 8 may have something to do with the massive fundraising effort from fans to get the feature-length version of the short made, with over 30,000 backers named in the credits.
Code 8‘s plot involves the discovery of people with superhuman powers at the beginning of the 20th century, and subsequent efforts by the government to register and monitor them. Despite their abilities, by the modern era, most of the “Powers” are marginalized, while criminals traffic in a drug made from those with superpowers. Robbie Amell plays Connor Reed, an electrokinetic drawn into a criminal life to help his ill mother, while being mentored by Stephen Amell’s Garrett.
It appears that the novel concept and the presence of recognizable names in the Amell cousins are helping Code 8 to achieve Netflix dominance, echoing the recent success of other genre movies in the platform’s charts. We’re happy to see a sci-fi feature of this scale get some wider attention on the service, too, especially given that many independent films picked up by Netflix can get buried in their collection.
With a short-form Code 8 series also apparently on the cards, it seems to be a good time to check out the feature if you haven’t yet done so. It’s a truly underrated sci-fi gem and is well worth a watch.
