Have you seen Amazon’s The Boys? Well, Project Power is running along the lines of a similar premise, where company Teleios Genetics desires to commodify superhero powers and abilities, though it is handled in a way where it seems less about the superhero genre, and more a commentary on social class. These superpower pills are pushed in the same way drugs are, with black neighbourhoods and communities being the key demographic targeted in New Orleans. Robin (Dominique Fishback) is one of these pushers, forced into it because she needs the money.
Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a cop, isn’t exactly rogue, but he is no pushover and certainly not corrupt. He fears the reality of these power pills being used in acts of criminality, with the police ill-equipped to protect themselves from these power-wielding individuals. He befriends Robin since he wants access to these pills, and wants to even out the playing field so the police aren’t sitting ducks. I have to say, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the most entertaining thing about this. He is one of those cops who practices epic monologues should there ever be an occasion to use them in the course of his work – he has a proclivity for the Clint Eastwood ones.
Jamie Foxx’ Art is ex-military, and was part of the early days of experimentation (desire to create super-soldiers), which has affected his genetic make-up. Thus, his daughter develops superpowers as a result and is of course is taken by the evil company for more experiments. Much like in The Old Guard, the individuals that make up this company aren’t very memorable, and there isn’t one second where I believe they are going to win. It’s sad, since I have been rather fond of Rodrigo Santoro since he stole our hearts in Love Actually, and as the face of the company, he is disposed of so easily.
Oh yeah, Machine Gun Kelly is in this, and just like his presence in Bird Box, he adds nothing to this film as well. Does he have some contract with Netflix or something? I have nothing against the guy, and he doesn’t seem that bad of an actor, though it’s hard to tell when he’s barely a part of the films that he shows up in. Casey Neistat has a cameo too, but don’t expect much if you’re a fan of his.
The biggest failure with Project Power is the action sequences, which is surprising given its US85 million dollar budget. This is a film about individuals taking pills and getting superpowers, but the effects can’t carry the weight of this premise. There is this one scene, where instead of letting us see the carnage that sweeps the area as Art takes everyone on, our vision is limited to the inside of a some kind of water tank, which means we get to see nothing. I mean, it’s a creative way to get out of shooting an extended action sequence, but if we don’t have credible actions scenes or credible effects, then how does this film succeed in any way?
The social commentary is also a bit on the nose and doesn’t really offer much nuance. There aren’t any stakes as well, so you don’t find yourself investing in any of the character’s fates. Save your time with this one, there are better things to watch on Netflix.
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