Humorless but unpretentious, the film will play well with those seeking new takes on superhero tropes... while others will resent having a still-viable non-comics genre infected by angsty mutants.

Essentially a humbler, grungier indie "X-Men" without the same dependence on splashy effects, "Code 8" is a solid genre effort from director Jeff Chan.

The ideas outpace the action in a movie that's clearly been made with passion and intelligence, but without the kind of zip that this kind of story demands.

[Code 8] is a passable sci-fi movie on Netflix. It's nothing we haven't seen before and the premise does get a little dry and predictable.