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If you had a chance to take a pill and inherit a superpower for 5 minutes what would you want your power to be? Flight? Super strength? Invulnerability? This is the premise of the new Netflix sci-fi action thriller starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback. There is a new drug going around New Orleans that gives people 5 minutes of superpowers. If you survive taking this drug once, then you know which power this will give you every time.
However, there is the possibility that a first-time user may not be compatible with the drug, and taking it will instantly make your body explode. Fun, right? Our story follows a teenage drug dealer in the life to help support her mother, a police officer that is willing to use the problem to solve a problem, and an ex-military man out for his own personal justice to right a wrong that was done to his family and save his daughter.
Our heroes form an uneasy alliance and realize they all want the same end results. If you could choose how to use these powers for either good or evil what would you choose? Would you use these powers for your own selfish gain or help others around you? Project Power is a decent sci-fi thriller with plenty of great action sequences to keep you entertained but I still think you might walk away from your TV with a meh feeling.
Although the main characters were fleshed out and defined rather good the world around them remained a bit of a blur. At times, the writing would go deep into characterization but with that, you were left to accept some things around them for what they were with no explanation. One of the things that was off for me is that the setting of the film was New Orleans.
There was a mention of the Saints football team, a mention of Hurricane Katrina, and the famed St Charles Line trolley but I felt it could have used more of the New Orleans ambiance. When you use a city like New Orleans as your backdrop that is like adding another cast member, the city itself. Another part that was not explored that could have been a handier plot devise tool was the men in suits that were known to show up throughout the film.
Various people in suits would show up and give the local police stand down orders and show up at people’s houses for questioning but we never quite knew what government organization they came from. It alluded that no one even knew if they were a legit organization, but this was never explored. For all, we know they could have been S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Men In Black your guess is as good as mine. If you could have superpowers with just a pill would you be a hero and save the world or a villain and rule it?
Would you help your fellow man or crush all who oppose you? I am not a big Joseph Gordan-Levitt fan, but I will say that I liked him in this film. Along with Jamie Foxx who you know will give you a great performance, they did a good job of taking us through this film. I just wish there were more of a back story on what made his character Frank choose the path he went on to fight crime in his city. The standout was Dominque Fishback’s portrayal of Robin the teenage drug dealer who wants to be a rapper.
Her performance in bringing Art and Frank together to fight for the same cause was well done. The problem in her character was not the actress but the writer’s fault. The one plot hole that was left open was seeing the circumstance in which Robin and Frank became this team to help bring down the spread of this drug. Robin had dreams of being a rapper but was scared to rap in front of people. You cannot introduce a plot point like this and not do anything to resolve it by the end of the movie.
Overall, Project Power was a decent movie for a one-time watch. The action scenes made the movie worth it. Do I regret spending time to watch this movie? Nah. Is it worth a re-watch? Nah, once is enough for me. Check it out though and let us know what you think.
Kenny Walker Jr