In David M. Parks’ feature film, Static Codes, a man’s life was forever changed in a car accident when aliens abducted his wife, and he was left paralyzed. Fifteen years later, he is a near-hopeless man who is still in search of getting back his wife. Richard (Shane Woodson) is a man with a broken spirit and confined to a wheelchair. His life consists of caring for his ill dog, drinking, and running a conspiracy site where he talks about his alien experience. His estranged daughter, Angela (Augie Duke), who was also involved in the car accident, hates what her father has become and does not appreciate her story being told to a bunch of “lunatics.” Richard’s one friend, Steve, attempts to not only assist Richard with whatever he needs but also to help Richard find the Lord.
Things take a turn for the worse when Richard hits rock bottom one night when the one thing he had is taken away from him. Richard’s prized website was seized and shut down. Realizing he had nothing, he’s now ready to end it all. After just passing out, Richard wakes up with his life changed again. The dog, Buster, is no longer ill, and Richard is no longer paralyzed. This puts Richard on the path of redemption as he reconciles with his daughter and continues the search for his wife.
“…a man’s life was forever changed in a car accident when aliens abducted his wife, and he was left paralyzed.”
There are things Static Codes does well, and then there are things that are a bit unbelievable, for lack of a better word. When it comes to the story, it’s quite silly. While I don’t think this film is meant to be believable, on the surface, its alien abduction story is something that covers up the heart of the story at times. When anything related to the abduction is taking place, I was the one being taken…out of the film. Now, I’m not saying that aliens aren’t real, but when making a film about aliens, it is hard to display them in a way that doesn’t appear silly. For example, Richard has this mark on his arm that was left from the abduction. At one point in the film, it glows. The glowing of the mark looks heavily CG-ed, whereas maybe some changes in lighting would have been a better choice, and it would have given off a more “realistic” effect.
Once I got through the alien aspect of the film, I saw what worked best for the film: the relationships. The father and daughter dynamic is actually something that is done quite well. I was able to see that Richard and Angela weren’t close, and there was a barrier keeping them from allowing each other to get close. It is also apparent that a relationship with Angela would help Richard have some normality in his life, but he just could not get past his past. Another bond that was a good touch in the film is the bond Richard has with his dog Buster. If you want to pull my heartstrings, the easy way to do it is to have the way they tug these strings of mine I didn’t quite appreciate. “If the dog dies, we riot.” I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.
If you are into films about alien abductions, Static Codes may be one for you to look at. The alien talk is interesting, but beware that it may not have the best special effects. Though slow-paced, Static Codes thrives in its family relationships and has some fantastic action in the final act.
"…thrives in its family relationships and has some fantastic action in the final act."
