Rated R for violence, bloody images, drug content and some language.
Now Streaming on Netflix In the streets of New Orleans, an underground operation is forming. A shadowy organization is preparing to launch a new drug into the city. But this drug is much more than the standard cannabis you’d find dealers selling. This drug, codenamed Power, has the ability to give you superpowers for five minutes. You don’t know what kind of power you get unless you take it, and depending on what it is, it might just end up killing you. Six weeks after the drug’s arrival, people are already using it to commit crimes or live out their wildest fantasies. The city is under siege by the growing amount of users; and three people are out to stop it. Officer Frank Shaver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is attempting to control the violent criminals with the help of young dealer Robin (Dominique Fishback), while a man named Art (Jamie Foxx) hopes to find the source and settle a personal score with the men in charge. They will have to work together to stop the drug from spreading worldwide and tearing apart society. The main problem that comes with the ever-increasing scope of Netflix original films is that they’re not meant to be seen on small screens. Big movies are meant to be seen on big screens. Watching them on televisions, computers, or phones doesn’t give the same feeling as they would on the silver screen. Sadly, that’s one of the main reasons why this movie didn’t work. Project Power has a good concept, and is somewhat saved by the great performances and stylish direction by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Unfortunately, its action can’t truly be appreciated with the platform it’s been released on. It’s also hampered by a screenplay that, despite the potential of its premise, relies on a story that treads familiar tropes and fails to answer some of its most basic questions. It is mostly the cast that carries the film. Foxx, Levitt, and Fishback all give good performances as their respective characters. Even if their characters aren’t the freshest personalities we’ve seen from cop movies, they are able to make them people that we want to root for. That’s one of the keys to making a movie like this watchable, and they do a pretty decent job. The movie also boasts a very unique visual style thanks to the directors. This feels like a natural step forward for their style after directing the 2016 thriller Nerve, and there are times where this film feels like a larger version of that one. The blend of CGI and mild shaky cam makes some of the shots look straight out of a comic book. It feels very refreshing; like the film had its own personality. However, it’s about as generic as you get when it comes to the film’s story. The concept of a drug that gives you superpowers is an interesting one, but the story doesn’t do anything to really develop this. Once the film really begins, the hunt to find the source becomes any given drug investigation from any given cop thriller. It doesn’t do much to shake up the formula or twist the conventions we’re used to. It also fails to follow its own basic logic. The powers people obtain are somewhat explained, but very soon after, something happens that only raises more questions. The same goes for many of the character motivations, and even the origin of the drug. There are never any clear answers to the questions the film asks. By the end, we’re not really sure what to think and it feels rather unsatisfying. Though the film may by stylish and action-packed, it’s large-scale trappings can’t be appreciated on a small screen. I don’t care if people think it’s more convenient to watch movies at home. It’s nearly impossible to really enjoy a movie like this when I watch it on a TV. Watching it in a movie theater allows you to be more immersed in the visual splendor, and no such immersion happens just watching it at home. Project Power’s central concept has the potential to be a fun action movie, and at times a basic story is enough to make a film like this fun. But a lack of cohesive answers and an unwillingness to make its small-screen platform feel investing makes it feel just mediocre. It’s sad that its talented cast isn’t enough to help save this film, but good action films are about much more than just big names. If this truly is the future of movie watching, it’s not a bright future.
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