film review: “Project Power”

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 14, YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!

By: Keaton Marcus

After the success of The Old Guard, Netflix gave the streaming platform another superhero flick. But this time it’s Project Power, about a hot new street drug that hits New Orleans with a bang. Don’t take this for any old pill, though. You eat this thing, you get a random superpower for five minutes with a bit of a catch, the user is oblivious to how him/her body will react to it. Talk about an interesting premise, huh? This streaming service just keeps getting better and better with how to eek in another installment to an overpopulated genre without making it too familiar. But sadly, this Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt vehicle gives us a good looking movie without solid execution, sacrificing its unique ideas for big, CGI action sequences. It isn’t a bad film per say, with suitable performances, including a stand-out, star-making one from newcomer Dominique Fishback, the romp just settles for a mediocre plot and script. As the saying goes, I’m not mad, just disappointed.

This delightfully weird premise was cooked up in a Cafe by first-time screenwriter Mattson Tomlin in 2016 at age 25, and now after having his first big break with PP, is an in-demand screenwriter who’s working on The Batman (that’s the Robert Pattinson one). Not only that, but this guy’s got adaptations for video-game Mega Man and comic-book series Memetic. Unfortunately, the screenplay is most likely the weakest factor in this meh-fest, and giving Tomlin all these high-profile projects may not be the best idea, but to hell with it. Right? Well, you could argue that this does scratch our summer blockbuster itch with a passing grade, as the movie is full of explosions, slick action and a brutally fast-paced storyline. The problem is that it is really nothing more than a decent, watchable summer blockbuster, it’s just COVID-19 friendly.

With Foxx, Levitt, and directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman, what really went wrong here? Well instead of exploring Tomlin’s solid idea with depth, Joost and Schuman go through all the genre cliches. There’s a big, shady corporation called Teleios, who made the pill, and will do anything to evolve the human race. Not generic enough? Well, don’t worry, Jamie Foxx is on a bit of a personal quest, going through the whole Taken revenge story, squandering a potentially interesting character with a mediocre arc. Levitt’s character isn’t anything special either, and you could even argue that he’s just there to give this film some more star-power, despite a perfectly fine performance. Fishback is terrific, but her character is rendered completely useless at the end, I’ll tell you why later. Ok, ok…you want more details?

Foxx plays Art, aka “Major”, an ex-soldier who the feds think is behind the whole superpower-drug cluster fuck. The Oscar-winner is actually trying to find his daughter, Tracy, for pretty much the entire movie. I won’t get into major details, but a certain evil corporation with a plan took her. Shhhh. All I can really say is that a good performance is wasted on a character that doesn’t deserve the screen-time. The screenplay gives Levitt the role of a New Orleans-bred cop named Frank (he even wears a Saints jersey to let you know) that is looking to arrest Foxx’s Art, but ends up working with him to stop Teleios. I’m actually having a mental dilemma on Fischback at the moment, her performance, and chemistry with Foxx is total dynamite, but her whole father-figure storyline with Art just doesn’t correlate with his agenda of finding his actual daughter. Plenty goes wrong in this movie, but thankfully, a lot goes right.

Joost and Schuman may not of been able to stick the landing with ease, but they’ve supercharged the first two acts of Project Power with blistering intensity in the action sequences, from an excellent building chase scene to a rumble in the streets of New Orleans. They bring a certain heart to the violence, at least when a couple CG shots aren’t ruining it. Everything in this movie moves at such a fast pace, much like their previous movie, Nerve, which is both positive and negative. Fortunately, this movie doesn’t drag, and it keeps a consistent tone and pace throughout, which does help it achieve its watchability status. Also, Foxx and Fishback, two African-Americans, leading a potential franchise is totally needed, especially considering their work in the movie.

It’s also got visual razzle-dazzle, credits to cinematographer Michael Simmonds. The directors lay off CGI whenever they can, which makes for a rather smashing moment when Frank samples the pill himself, making his skin bulletproof. The scene shows a thug shooting a bullet point-blank to his head; while filming this, they made a prop gun that shot high-pressure air onto Levitt’s skin to create the ripple effect. On a whole, actually, the movie looks fantastic, every shot is crisp, but it can’t quite save the movie from mediocrity. If you want a fun action thriller to cure your summer needs, be my guest…Otherwise, there are better films to watch. Though for pure popcorn entertainment, you could do worse.

The final opinion is: Project Power has slick visuals, fast-paced action and a trio of impressive performances, but the generic execution of an intriguing idea and dull characters make it settle for too little…$KIP IT

"Project Power" is Well-Acted, Dazzling, and Disappointingly OK

film review: “Project Power”

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