'Project Power' Review—A Mediocre Action Flick

If there was a pill that could give you five minutes of pure power, would you take it? You could become a giant and wreak havoc on terrorists by stomping them to death. You could become invisible and sneak into Area 51 to kidnap an alien. Or with my luck, your superpower could be explosive diarrhea. Any of those ideas would be more original than what we got in this film.

Netflix's newest original superhero film is Project Power, a film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Paranormal Activity 3, Nerve). The movie follows Art (Jamie Foxx), a man trying to find the source of a drug that provides the user with superpowers for five minutes.

As we have all found ourselves stuck at home with theaters expected to reopen soon, Netflix has been putting out their fair share of original content, with movies such as Eurovision Song Contest and another superhero film named The Old Guard. Unfortunately, Project Power lands on the same spectrum of quality as these other films.

This film boasts a unique twist on the prevalent superhero genre with ordinary people who have to take a drug that gives them temporary superpowers. However, the screenplay fails to rise above its unfamiliar concept with a mediocre execution filled with the tropes we are familiar with.

Project Power begins the way most crime thrillers do with a drug deal, and from there, the film's premise is introduced: a pill that gives you power for five minutes. NOPD cop Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) uses this drug to level the playing field with the criminals using the pill, doing so in the film's most memorable action scene: a street chase with a surprising ending.

However, the film fails to take advantage of its five-minute deadline by rarely ever letting the audience know how much time is left before the characters lose their powers. Had Frank checked his five-minute timer more often, the film could have much more tension, but not much is done with this time limit.

Furthermore, the film's twist on the superhero genre is taken down a generic path with Art trying to find the people who kidnapped his daughter, the damsel-in-distress cliché that I poked fun of in a recent article.

The film intertwines Taken with a subplot surrounding Gordon-Levitt's character of Frank, a very by-the-numbers police officer with no distinctive qualities or personality except an occasional Clint Eastwood impression. While Gordon-Levitt portrays his character with charm, there is little for him to work with.

Foxx's character, Art, faces little emotional challenge throughout his journey, and his relationship with his daughter does not have nearly enough screentime to have the nuance it deserves. Art teams up with Robin (Dominique Fishback), a young girl who aspires to be a rapper.

The relationship that forms between Art and Robin is charming, with Robin becoming a surrogate daughter for Art. Unfortunately, the rest of the character relationships are not fleshed out, with Art and Frank becoming allies for no reason, barely becoming friends, and finding little common ground to justify their partnership.

While our heroes are mildly disappointing, our villains are disappointing to a greater extent, with their identities being unclear and their appearance feeling like a last-minute addition. Their motivations are vague, and they don't have a threatening presence, as the villains of the film are mostly a conveyor belt of muscular guys.

And the final boss battle is between Art and a character who did not exist until the very second that it was time for a final boss battle. The action sequences throughout the film and the climax are fun but forgettable, and the powers on display are nothing to write home about.

Every time the film has the chance to do or say something original or surprising, it steps away from that opportunity. Its themes about the system which failed Art are mildly interesting, but overall, the film fails to be as unique, thought-provoking, or emotional as it could have been.

None of the characters have distinct arcs, and again, Frank has nothing special about him. The film isn't profane or bloody enough to justify its R rating, but the direction is stylish and filled with colorful cinematography. It has excellent performances across the board and a unique concept for a superhero film, but the path it takes is generally forgettable.

While it fails to meet its potential, it serves its purpose as another mediocre action flick from Netflix. If you want decent entertainment for two hours, you can do better than Project Power, but you can't go wrong by chowing down a bowl of microwave popcorn and watching this piece of superhero entertainment.

Grade: ★★★☆☆ (C+)

Rating: R for violence, bloody images, drug content and some language (trust me, it's not that bad)