For this week’s review, we went back to NETFLIX instead of my stack of unwatched Blu-Ray movies. I scrolled through “my list” of shows/films that I had created that might remotely interest me and stopped at Project Power. This latest NETFLIX film stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback as the central characters. I watched the 30 second trailer that NETFLIX inserts as a promo and decided what the hell. Now, as some of you may remember, the last film I watched with Jamie Foxx, (Robin Hood – 2018), I panned horribly due to the fact that it was so terrible to watch. I was desperately hoping for Foxx to redeem himself in this film. Additionally, this film stars Gordon-Levitt, who I have found to grow considerably as an actor over the last few decades since I had first seen him in “3rdRock from the Sun”. Fishback on the other hand, was new to me, and checking her resume on IMDB I had not seen any of her previous performances.
In essence, Project Power is basically another super-hero, super-power movie, but with a slight twist. Taking place in New Orleans, well the seedier side of New Orleans anyway, a new drug is being peddled amongst the ne’er do wells of the city. This drug, can give the host super powers, but these super-powers are restricted by time and also the DNA of the host and what is in the pill itself. The pill harnesses the powers of an animal, amplifies it with the host’s DNA and expands them exponentially for a short time. However, one of the side effects could also be a horrible death by internal explosion. So in essence, it can make someone fast like a cheetah, armoured like an armadillo, invisible like a chameleon or super strong like an elephant. The only downside, is no one knows what their power will be until they take the pill itself! Will it give them power, or will it kill them, a kind of supersized Russian Roulette if you will!
At the start of the film, we see one of our films heroines, Robin (Fishback) trying to sell this drug called “Power” to some of the local toughs. Obviously, as this is a seedy part of town, these miscreants want to take the drugs and money from Robin so that they can become powerful if even for a short time. Enter the 2ndhero, a burnt-out cop (Gordon-Levitt) who will do what it takes to keep the streets safe. Doing what it takes, also means that he is not above taking the pills, in his case, when he takes the power pill, we find out he becomes bullet-proof. Meanwhile, we discover that these power pills are being sold as a means for a crooked pharma company to test their products on humans, thus avoiding any government restrictions.
Now, enter our 3rdhero, Art (Foxx). He calls himself the “Major” and he is trying to find out where the pills are coming from and also search for his daughter that has somehow become a prisoner of this crooked pharma company. Our 3 main characters hook up, with Robin (Fishback) being the nexus of their relationship. With Art (Foxx) and Frank (Gordon-Levitt) not really trusting each-other, it takes the street smarts and logic of a 13-year old, Robin (Fishback) to get them to work together. Once teamed up, they combat a bevy of powered individuals, and a number of security guards from the pharmaceutical company and a rogue portion of the government/military. Needless to say, they win, as was predicted, and the evil company et al are thwarted. So, even though this was a limited synopsis of the plot, the predictability of the film does not really give out any spoilers. How they manage to win, is something you will have to see for yourself if you choose to watch this film.
So, what did we think of the film? Project Power takes the concept of Limitless (2011), and combines it with a touch of the DC and Marvel universe. I liked the premise of the film, a Russian roulette of superpowers, with a fatal ending, combined with the standard avenging hero plotline; but it did have its drawbacks. The backstory of the drug development and testing was touched upon, and Art’s (Foxx) participation was glassed over, and could have used greater development. As did the explanations of why/where and how often these pills were pushed out in the various cities. Additionally, we find that Robin (Fishback) is pushing the pill, and that she does know Frank (Gordon-Levitt) (enough so that he gives her a confiscated motor-cycle), but why is he helping? Is it just that she supplies him with the drug? This was a plot hole that was hard to cover up. Especially later in the film, where he assists her mother when she is in a bind. Would he have not have had further information on Robin’s (Fishback) family beforehand? These plot-holes distracted us a little from the film. But we continued watching anyways.
Furthermore, I think that the pharmaceutical company/bad guy could have had some more development? Ok, they designed the drug, and Art (Foxx) as a member of the Special forces was experimented on (so he knows what it is all about) and the film touched on why the daughter was special. Another few minutes of either memories or explanation would have increased the film’s enjoyment, and also ensured that no-one got lost in the film’s CGI and actually followed a cogent storyline to the end.
As this is a film that almost everyone seems to have a power (for a short time), I have to say that the special effects were pretty good. The short term mutations were pretty cool, and I thought done well. (Not to the extent of the big budget Marvel or DC films, but well enough). I especially liked Newt’s (Machine Gun Kelly) transformation to the films version of the Human Torch, and Biggie’s Hulk like transformation. Both of them were done well and amplified the intensity of their respective scenes.
The final act, where we see our stalwart heroes fighting the bad guys to save Art’s (Foxx) daughter also had some pretty decent special effects, and actually an interesting animal’s strength to harness for the final confrontation. I won’t divulge the final power in case you want to see the film yourself, but needless to say, I actually had to look up that animal to see if it actually did possess that kind of strength/power; and, yes it does, sort of. The director/screen writer actually merged two variants of the same animal family to make the animal, but the strengths it (they) possess was close enough. Who says you don’t learn something from movies eh!
What didn’t we like about the film? Well, Robin (Fishback) and her propensity to Rap as it was some mystical talent that could save the day. Did it really have to be there? Could the screenwriter not have made something a little bit better for her? Maybe it is just that I don’t really get that type of music that was the reason, but for me, it was something the film could have done without. Also, as I previously mentioned, there were some story plot holes that could have been filled or expanded. I also felt that this concept of the “power pill” could have been better played out.
Now for a quick look at the main cast:
Jamie Foxx as Art: Foxx is actually a pretty good action film actor. I just wish that he would pick some better vehicles for his talents. While Project Power was OK, it was nowhere close to the calibre of movie that he has played in the past. In this film, he did get to show off his fighting skills, but he did not really show any depth of character. Ok, so we know he wants revenge on those who kidnapped his daughter, and he would show the requisite amounts of anger etc while in pursuit – but in this film, I just didn’t feel it. In Ray, Collateral and Django, I could see the emotion and the angst. But here it was just too one dimensional, however, it was still far better then the last film I saw him in (Robin Hood).
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Frank: Gordon-Levitt is also a talented actor who was wasted in this film. I have seen him in numerous films and television programs over the years and have pretty much enjoyed most of it. In films like 500 days of Summer, 50/50, Looper, and Sin City: A dame to kill for, his characters were diverse and entertaining. While in Project Power, there were some scenes that we could see some flashes of talent, a lot of the character seemed to be lost to either CGI, or just not there. This could have been the fault of the script and/or direction, either way, I have seen him act far better than he did in this film.
Dominique Fishback as Robin: As the teenage drug dealer (with a future), Fishback was not too bad. I had not seen her in anything else in the past, so I really can’t compare her acting here to any other roles. However, her character was central to bringing the key characters together for the final conflict. Like I said, I could have done without the Rap business, (again it could be that the music is just not my style), and believed that it was not required in the film, but in one-way shape or form, the script/direction had to give her some depth of character, and maybe that was the only way. I will be curious to see what other roles she takes in the future.
There were a few supporting actors that deserve some mention. Machine Gun Kelly as Newt was actually pretty entertaining. However, that was primarily due to the fact that the best parts of his role were enhanced by CGI to make him a pseudo flaming torch. Additionally, Rodrigo Santoro as Biggie, made me chuckle a bit as well. Much the same as Machine Gun Kelly, the best part of his role was also due to CGI enhancements. While entertaining, their characters were really just throw-aways to the whole plot of the film. The biggest disappointment for supporting actors was Courtney B Vance as Captain Crane and Frank’s Boss. Vance is extremely talented and I have enjoyed his films/Television roles every since I saw him in Hamburger Hill (1987). He followed this up with some other great supporting pieces in such films and shows like – Hunt for Red October, The Tuskegee Airmen, Law and Order, ER, and Flashforward. In each show, I found his role to be very entertaining, regardless of the length of screen time or importance of the character. In Project Power, he was completely wasted, and if he was given a greater role, it just may have enhanced the film a bit.
So, now the big question, were we entertained? Yes, sort of. We enjoyed the premise and the CGI. However, the character development and plot threads left a little to be desired. But, even taking those issues into consideration, we did watch the whole film and were mildly entertained. Was this a big budget Hollywood film with amazing stars and special effects? No, it was not. But for a NETFLIX original, it was not too bad, and it did pass a few hours. I would recommend this film if you were into the whole superpower thing and if you are fans of either Foxx or Gordon-Levitt. Otherwise, you may want to watch Limitless, which almost has the same premise, take a pill, get a power – but that one was done quite a bit better.
Our Rating 5/10
If you are interested in other films starring the main cast, please consider the following recommendations:
Jamie Foxx Ray, Django, The Amazing Spider Man 2, Due Date, The Kingdom, Jarhead and Collateral
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Looper, 50/50, 500 Days of Summer, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception
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