No One Man Should Have All That Power
Introduction
Without the usual mega-contenders of Marvel and DC hogging all the spotlight, 2020 has offered few titles to the superhero genre, but those few have all felt unique. Project Power offers a break from the superhero movie formula, following more closely to the crime drama genre and incorporating superpowers in a unique and compelling story. Being so starved for one of my favourite film types, I found this film to be a refreshing watch, despite its numerous flaws.
Plot and Setting
Project Power takes place in New Orleans, where a massive criminal organisation has set up shop and released a new drug called Power that grants the taker superpowers for the next five minutes. The film revolves around Robin Reiley (Dominique Fishback), a street-smart Power dealer and aspiring rap artist who manages to get wrapped up in the affairs of a detective and a former military officer on their crusade to bring down the organisation.
The film provides a fascinating explanation of the origins of the drug, comparing the mutations and powers granted by the drug to the abilities of real-world animals. I was able to get behind some of these powers, such as regeneration coming from lizards.
Depending on your DNA, anyone who takes the drug can only get one specific power out of it. As an example, if one gets regeneration the first time, subsequent usage will only ever grant regeneration. That is, of course, if you are lucky enough to not explode or die straight after taking it!
Characters and Performance
The trio in this crime drama is a likable bunch, with pleasing acting and decent chemistry all-round. I especially loved the interaction between Robin Reiley and Jamie Foxx’s character, Art: a one-dad army in search of his kidnapped daughter. Their conversation midway through the film about how natural skills and powers are one’s actual superpowers, while corny, was pretty inspiring.
Fishback’s plays an impulsive youth with a good heart, pushing Power to earn enough money to help her sick mother. While not the most book-smart of the group, the girl is filled with all sorts of surprises, from her spectacular freestyle rapping prowess to her savviness.
She also acts as an informant to detective Frank Shaver, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a bland superpowered one-man army who is doing everything in his power to stop the dealing of power in his neighbourhood. To be fair, Shaver is well-acted, but the script makes the character a bit too one-dimensional.
I do question Shaver’s methods of showing appreciation. While the gesture might be nice, it’s pretty weird to give a teenager a motorbike as a token of gratitude? Also, how does her mother not notice the engine of a motorcycle roaring directly outside her house on multiple occasions?
Action
In terms of action Project Power has several great ideas spread equally across the film, but they are weighed down by annoying rapid cuts between scenes. One part, in particular, is like watching a fight while having a seizure. I could not see ANYTHING that was going on. The brawl revolved around Ark duking it out with some pushers outside of a supermarket. I actually had to watch this mess twice slowly to understand what was going on.
Another scene that felt oddly cheap was when Shaver had to take down a soldier with superhuman flexibility. While they hired a relatively decent contortionist (Xavier Day) for the role, the choreography was not very exciting, and the rubbery scenes edited over his movements sounded almost cartoony.
That said, Project power does have some well-shot moments! The two introductory chase sequences for both Art and Frank, while a bit rough around the edges, were still exciting to watch. One of the sequences does excellent work portraying the drug as a double-edged sword, adding further weight to the warning given by Frank during the film’s opening sequence and also foreshadowing the gruesome events that will unfold later on.
Conclusion
Project Power holds a lot of promise in its premise and with the fantastic chemistry between Fishback and Foxx’s characters. However, it does not quite stick the landing due to several hiccups surrounding the action scenes and a bland script for its third main character.
