The Code Conspiracy (2002)

Really Surprised!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I pick up these cheap discount DVD's that have 4 movies for $5. Often you get lucky and there is one or two worth watching. This was not one of those. It was quite awful.The main plot element regarding keyless encryption is utter nonsense as far as I know. Keyless encryption already exists but is not very secure. Also during the movie the so called "keyless encryption" required a key to unlock it which is not that far fetched.From reading the reviews I get the impression know one knows what really happened in the beach scene. Possibly the writer knows?Two theories Theory 1. Quantum physics and teleportation (mentioned earlier in the movie) Personally I would never get into a teleportation device. You could NEVER know for certain that you aren't just being destroyed and an exact copy is being made (any teleportation technology would involve the destruction of the "source").Theory 2. John is a new messiah? David Warner's character mentions that John's name is in the code in reference to Jesus. John needs to release the code like Jesus spreading "the word".Not a religious man myself, but I often wonder about "odd" things like PI and prime numbers... fractals etc. Those are mathematical and bound by rules... but also relate to the so-called "natural" world. Math itself is part of the natural world. It existed before man, or the earth. Mathematics was not "invented" by man, it was "discovered". 2 plus 2 can never equal 5 (unless you are George Orwell). So how were those rules "created"? Is there another "universe" where 2 + 2 = 7? The filmmaker missed a great opportunity to do something interesting and thought provoking without needing to talk about nonsense things like "keyless encryption" and "bible codes".Overall, really bad movie. If a message was trying to be sent with this movie regarding the writer/director's religious beliefs as some reviewers seem to feel, the message could have been a tad less ephemeral.

This movie is bad. I don't know how it got a 7.3. The vast majority of what I saw - my friend and I turned it off about half way through - was talk. And not very interesting talk. Just blather, going over the same ground again and again. David Warner, a good actor, phoned in his performance, got his check and split. Gotta pay the rent.Stage requires a lot of talk because of the limitations its nature imposes. But when they have the power of the camera's eye which allows them to use angles, editing, etc. to create a sense of mystery and drama, why do directors just set it up and let it run while the actors talk? Don't get me wrong, there are movies out there that have a great deal of dialog and they are riveting - GLEN GARRY GLENROSS and NETWORK are two good examples. But if your movie is going to be heavy on dialog it's got to be sharp, witty, lean, in short, interesting. There's a basic rule in any creative endeavor - whenever possible, show, don't tell. Well, in this movie the characters tell you everything and show you very little. And I won't even get into how pretentious this film is.

Do you have the slightest idea where we came from, where we are headed, and why? The writer/director Whetstone poses and interesting dilemma when it comes to proving his theory. Yet, he makes the story compelling enough to ponder the possibilities. The stars (Jim Fitzpatrick, Maria Conchita Alonso, David Warner) are perfectly cast. The writing is straight forward and pulls no punches when it comes to including the backdrop of Whetstone's Christianity. His religious beliefs are upfront and obvious, and I don't have a problem with that. I think that when people stick to one theory of life, and don't listen to other's opinions, they have stopped the educational process. You can never stop learning...never stop growing. I feel that this film is as strong as any I've seen in a long time.

After reading several reviews on this film I thought I would add my twenty cents. The fact that I saw it several times, and there's still some mystery in it, still some ambiguity as to the possible meanings to all of the things that go on with John Davis, is what I find most compelling.It's not a film like 'Pi' where all of the pieces fall into place at just the right time and you know exactly where you stand. It's something rather that is left to the intelligence and imagination of the viewer. Was he really married...did he have kids? Did his partner really commit suicide? Did God, or an Angel...kill the FBI Agent? The ambiance is perfect. The acting is great, the dialogue is outstanding. The Bahamian 'Big Smile,' talking to John about his rebirth still moves me to this date and the two simple words suddenly spoken to a disbelieving John from some unseen source while in the Beach scene still mesmerizes me like no other movie can.Also there is a perplexing and scary scene in the middle where John witnesses his family's death (a missile shoots down the family Jet), then suddenly evil, ghostly demons express their joy over the catastrophe. There is a lot of haunting blue hues in most of the shots. I would like to see a better quality DVD put out for this one, but I'll take what I can get with this theory.See this movie then see it again and then see it after you change your thinking about life and religion. Don't over-analyze it and don't worry if some of it doesn't make sense, after all it's not all supposed to change your thinking...but instead, challenge your beliefs.