Code 46
United Artists | Release Date: August 6, 2004
5.9
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Ratings
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14
Mixed:
7
Negative:
6
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
4
RichardS.May 1, 2006
As others have posted, this is a mix of Blade Runner, Gattaca, Cypher, Eternal Sunshine, Solaris etc - but it's nothing like as good as any of those films. The sci-fi elements are poorly developed and go nowhere. Everything is subsumed As others have posted, this is a mix of Blade Runner, Gattaca, Cypher, Eternal Sunshine, Solaris etc - but it's nothing like as good as any of those films. The sci-fi elements are poorly developed and go nowhere. Everything is subsumed within the central "romance". I use inverted commas as the relationship between Morton and Robbins is hideous. There is zero chemistry, which is hardly surprising since both actors specialise in flatlining performances (I really like Morton - I have been a fan since she was a kid in an episode of Cracker in the early 90s, but really, these shaven-headed, sleepy-eyed, dozy performances are getting annoying now...). The sex scenes between Morton and Robbins made me gag - since there is no chemstry or spark between the couple, and absolutely no sex appeal, it's hard to see them "get passionate" on a regular basis - it was all wrong. Don't get me wrong, this film could have worked, with a better cast, or more particularly, a different leading man. The sci-fi elements should also have been more clearly addressed. I should add I liked the soundtrack - very similar to Solaris tho not as good. The direction was also very good (though Greengrass' obsession with hand-held cameras is tiring), shame he couldn't tell a better story.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
1
IvanJ.Jun 3, 2006
Honestly, one of the worst films I've seen in the last five years. Utterly fails to redeem its promise. It's beautifully shot - I mean, gorgeously - but the problems are legion and sink it before it's half over. The central Honestly, one of the worst films I've seen in the last five years. Utterly fails to redeem its promise. It's beautifully shot - I mean, gorgeously - but the problems are legion and sink it before it's half over. The central issue is (as others here have noted) that the couple at the film's heart makes absolutely no sense. There's zero chemistry between Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton, so there's also zero logic to their ostensibly rapid descent into obsession. Morton is just awful, here, and the sex scenes in particular were hard to take. (Tim Robbins is likeable, but the character is underwritten, giving him little to work with but a single bit of shtick that is old the second time you see it.) The worst thing is that Code 46 insists, every thirty seconds or so, on reminding you of all the vastly superior films it's derived from and to the position of which it so clearly wishes to aspire - Alphaville, Gattaca, and (Tarkovsky's) Solaris in particular. Awful, simply awful.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
10
MattKOct 8, 2005
I loved this movie. Thoughtful and dense, and full of quiet passion about loving near strangers. It's steady and gorgeous.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
MrZardongJun 20, 2011
I'm a pushover for romantic movies and this one did the trick. The plot was interesting but only so much in trying to figure out whether there was going to be a happy ending. This probably doesn't do justice to the technical aspects of theI'm a pushover for romantic movies and this one did the trick. The plot was interesting but only so much in trying to figure out whether there was going to be a happy ending. This probably doesn't do justice to the technical aspects of the plot though. Unlike bladerunner, the future presented here is a much more sterile, and perhaps, gentler view of "control" by government. Even the act of exile is a seemingly more humane form of punishment though one would question **slight spoiler potential follows** whether the psychological burden of it is perhaps even more painful. I found Robbins and Morton to be a believable pair. I've always found Morton to be irresistible in these roles. Maybe it's the vulnerability she exudes, maybe it's the acting. Or maybe it's because she isn't one of those glamor stars who we all get tired of seeing. She isn't perfect, but maybe that's why she's beautiful. Like the ending, I will miss this film.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
AndrewL.Sep 26, 2005
A beautifully affecting film. Yes it's slow moving but the performances are strong and the story is well told at exactly the pace that is required. If you like action flicks or slapstick comedy then it's not for you and that A beautifully affecting film. Yes it's slow moving but the performances are strong and the story is well told at exactly the pace that is required. If you like action flicks or slapstick comedy then it's not for you and that probably means that you'll miss a lot in life, like the impression left by this film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
PaulC.Oct 6, 2006
A fascinating blend of music, photography and action create a film in many ways redolent of Wenders' Until the End of the World.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
GroundF.Sep 18, 2006
I'll never forget the world of Code 46. Unfortunately, the film is ruined by two dull characters and the dullest love affair imaginable. The characters are atypically boring. Incredibly boring. There's no real spontaneity in the I'll never forget the world of Code 46. Unfortunately, the film is ruined by two dull characters and the dullest love affair imaginable. The characters are atypically boring. Incredibly boring. There's no real spontaneity in the relationship. The conversation that passes between the characters is almost mindless in its banality. Other than that, they make love. That is the relationship. I don't want to post spoilers, [***SPOILERS***] but the tragedy of their relationship is that there isn't much for them to lose. There was so much potential for this film. In my opinion, the world of Code 46 is as good as any that has been created in cinema. Unfortunately, the two main characters are impossibly dull; their affair is almost perversely dull. Code 46 has moments of real beauty that, in my opinion, eclipses all the things that make this film quite frustrating. It left a lasting impression on me and in a few months I will watch it again.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
IlonaC.Jan 10, 2007
The main charaters of the film where well portrayed. They where not ultra sexy or blindingly physically attractive and that's the appeal. They are normal people set in an oppressive world where the over use of cloning and ivf leads to The main charaters of the film where well portrayed. They where not ultra sexy or blindingly physically attractive and that's the appeal. They are normal people set in an oppressive world where the over use of cloning and ivf leads to the need for a law called code 46. I won't spoil the movies end but will say it's beautifully shot, subtle elegant story-telling takes the viewer on a ride to a disturbingly realistic vision of the future with its center being the hopless ill fated love story .… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
KevinH.Apr 14, 2006
I think the director did an incredible job. I loved the way it was shot. The scifi world they created was also awesome. But I think the story was way too subtle and wasn't clear enough.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
NF123Aug 23, 2010
Entertaining, thought provoking and has a truly beautiful score. OK not really a masterpiece but a film I could recommend to people who like hard science fiction and are sick of the Avatars, and Star wars which have been polluting the ScienceEntertaining, thought provoking and has a truly beautiful score. OK not really a masterpiece but a film I could recommend to people who like hard science fiction and are sick of the Avatars, and Star wars which have been polluting the Science Fictilon Genre with pure stupidity and Flashing, bright lights.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
tonyGreenMay 27, 2011
It's set in the very near future. That's just as well because the budget of this film clearly could not stretch to anything beyond a few small interior sets. Although the very near future looks very similar to today, for out protagonists theIt's set in the very near future. That's just as well because the budget of this film clearly could not stretch to anything beyond a few small interior sets. Although the very near future looks very similar to today, for out protagonists the usual dystopian restrictions apply. The back of the DVD describes it as a 'companion peice' to such films as Gattaca, Minority Report etc. For Gattaca, another very low budget sci-fi the comparison is *not* flattering. I guess the distributor is admitting it's not very good, but if you collecting the full set of dystopian movies, this needs to be filed on your shelf.

Not terribly thought-provoking, not at all erotic, disappointing all round… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
HotelCentralJul 23, 2019
This is a film with sparse dialog and hardly any plot points and really very little to offer other than video clips of a modern metropolis which may be identical to Shanghai and vast stretches of desert which serve well as a metaphor for theThis is a film with sparse dialog and hardly any plot points and really very little to offer other than video clips of a modern metropolis which may be identical to Shanghai and vast stretches of desert which serve well as a metaphor for the bleak character of the film. I mean, I was twenty minutes into the film and still wondering what the film was about and now that I've seen the whole thing I'm wondering why anyone saw a need to put this on film.

Maybe it's a love story. I have a problem with love stories that do little or nothing to persuade me that the two characters on the screen see something really fascinating in each other and that's why it isn't just another one-night stand when they jump into bed and have what amounts to a one-night stand.

If it's supposed to be a cautionary tale about a dystopian future then it needs to work a lot harder than merely suggesting an "eerily possible near-future where cities are heavily controlled and only accessible through checkpoints." I mean, how do you fly anywhere on the planet without going through checkpoints? Gee, whiz. And by the way China instituted its "One-Child Policy" 25 years before this film was released and that made it mandatory for women to be fitted with an IUD after one child and to be sterilized after two, and violators of the policy were subjected to forced abortions and heavy fines. So if you want to talk about oppressive governments you don't have to look any further than yesterday.

Not a film I'd recommend unless sitting around for hours on end listening to the rain is your kind of thing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
RobertBroganSep 28, 2015
Contrary to expectations, I did not find Code 46 to be a dark thriller. Rather, I found it to be rather light when compared with THX1138 or 1984. Overall, the film has a strange vibe to it that is romantic, pensive, mysterious, fatalistic.Contrary to expectations, I did not find Code 46 to be a dark thriller. Rather, I found it to be rather light when compared with THX1138 or 1984. Overall, the film has a strange vibe to it that is romantic, pensive, mysterious, fatalistic. Unsure what to think of it, though it is certainly a cut above the B-movie I had been expecting. All around Code 46 has solid acting and directing with some interesting concepts.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
Stagger74Jul 13, 2021
》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》¡
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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