Would you take a pill that gave you superpowers? Even if you didn't know what it would do to you? That is the question in Project Power, a really solid sci-fi movie starring Jamie Foxx.
Project Power is the new scourge flooding the streets of New Orleans. It is the underground development of a pill that taps into and releases your very own superpower.
But there's a catch, the pills are far from perfect. Everyone has their own superpower, and the pill does not provide any specific powers.
Plus, your power will only last for just five minutes. On top of that, the Project Power pill is highly unstable.
You could die from the first hit or risk death if you take too many. Yet, this does not seem to put the people of New Orleans off.
So why has it only appeared in New Orleans? Well, the developers of the Project Power pill, Teleios, are using the people of New Orleans to develop it further.
Teleios will stop at nothing to control the distribution of the power pill. Or to find ways to improve it. One such way is by using a young girl, Tracy (Kyanna Simone Simpson).
She has developed natural superpowers, so Teleios has abducted her and is using her as a lab rat to find out how.
But her father Art (Jamie Foxx, Day Shift), an ex soldier and one of the original subjects of the Project Power project will also stop at nothing to find his daughter.
With the assistance of a suspended cop and a young girl with connections to the Project Power cartel, can Art get his daughter back? And can they stop Project Power?
Project Power Official Trailer
Is Project Power Worth Watching?
Netflix knows how to create a fun action thriller. Extraction is one of their most watched movies ever, and while I am not saying that Project Power is quite as good, it's not shabby by any means.
Directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost usually collaborate together and are most famous for their paranormal activity films. And there is an element of this in Project Power.
On top of the great direction, the premise is clever too. The whole concept of Project Power feels like it has come straight from a sci-fi novel but it is a completely original idea from the American screenwriter Mattson Tomlin.
That said, there are elements that have clearly been influenced by other films. For instance, the five-minute countdown feels like it is taken straight out of The Equalizer movies.
The cast boasts an Oscar Winner in Jamie Foxx who has real presence as the Major. He eases into the part perfectly and oozes bags of character on screen.
Plus, his co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Snowden) is one of the most respected acting talents around today. Playing the role of Detective Frank Shaver, he is genuinely funny, especially when he is mimicking Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry.
The other strong performance comes from Dominique Fishback, who plays a teenage dealer and aspiring rap artist.
Overall, Netflix has done it again Project Power. It is a thoroughly enjoyable film experience with great action sequences, a quirky sci-fi vibe, a solid story and excellent performances.
Project Power Release Date
Filming for Project Power took place in New Orleans for about 10 weeks back in October 2018.
It was then released by Netflix on August 14, 2020, with the streaming platform reporting that 75 million households watched the film over its first four weeks of release.
Project Power Cast
Jamie Foxx as Art; a Delta Force operator who was one of Power's original test subjects. He can launch powerful heat waves from his body.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Snowden) as Frank Shaver, a New Orleans detective who receives Power that hardens his skin.
Dominique Fishback as Robin Reilly, a street-smart Power dealer.
Colson Baker as Newt, Robin's cousin and fellow Power dealer, who can generate fire from his body.
Rodrigo Santoro as Biggie, one of Power's creators.
Amy Landecker as Gardner
Allen Maldonado as Landry
Kyanna Simone Simpson as Tracy, Art's daughter who naturally possesses the ability to heal organic matter.
Andrene Ward-Hammond as Irene.
Courtney B. Vance as Captain Crane, Shaver's commanding officer.
