‘Project Power’ Film Review: Let’s All Get High on Jamie Foxx’s Superhero Pills
Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s imaginative, garish, occasionally corny and generally entertaining riff on the superhero genre
Virtuous superheroes get all the good press, but “Project Power” makes a pretty logical point with its central premise: If pills really existed that gave human beings superpowers, isn’t it more likely that the people who used those powers would be up to no good?
That’s the world posited by screenwriter Mattson Tomlin and directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman in “Project Power,” an imaginative, garish, occasionally corny and generally entertaining riff on the superhero genre.
Set in a hyperstylized New Orleans and shot in a way that puts a slightly lurid, greasy sheen over everything, the amped-up genre flick suggests that if people could suddenly find themselves able to break through walls, blend into their surroundings and outrun police cars, they might use those powers not to fight crime, but to rob banks and get away by outrunning police cars.
It’s a world in which superpowers inevitably lead to chaos with a side of profiteering – which, given the state of the world today, is probably a pretty good guess. And even if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense much of the time, “Project Power” has the folks it needs to sell the premise in Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback as an unlikely trio out to keep everything from going to hell.
Gordon-Levitt plays Frank, a New Orleans cop who’s doing his best to cope with a city where the drug trade has suddenly been transformed by an influx of shiny pills that go by the name of “Power,” because that’s exactly what they deliver. The problem is, a user doesn’t know what kind of power it will be: The pill makes you a superhero for five minutes with powers based on adaptations that have been made in the animal kingdom, but you don’t know until you take it if the pill will make you super strong or super fast or turn you into a chameleon or let you burst into flame and scorch everybody around you.
Or, by the way, it might just make you explode and die.
Frank figures that the only way to keep up with the bad guys is to keep a stock of his own pills, which make him bulletproof. And before long, with the aid of an aspiring teenage rapper and part-time drug dealer named Robin, he finds himself on the trail of “the Major,” an ex-soldier he’s told is the source of all the Power in New Orleans.
The Major, though, is actually named Art, he’s played by Jamie Foxx and he’s not the source of anything, except maybe a world of hurt for anybody who gets in his way. The real story, he tells Frank, is that Power was developed by a defense contractor who tested it on a bunch of soldiers (including Art) and is now using the unwitting New Orleans populace as lab rats to make the drug more manageable and more sellable.
The mysterious organization, which goes by the name of Teleios and clearly has government ties, has also kidnapped Art’s daughter, Tracy (Kyanna Simpson), who may have been born with the much-coveted next step, “permanent power.” So Art, Frank and Robin take on the shadowy government organization and a slew of villains who are either heavily armed or inhumanly strong.
You could think of “Project Power” as a small-group-against-the-world action movie, except for those crazy special powers that can turn hand-to-hand combat in a rundown apartment building into a version of Gandalf’s fight against the Balrog in “The Lord of the Rings,” minus the magic wand and the shiny whip. Or you could think of it as a superhero movie, except that the filmmakers are determined to sink into the grit and make points about profit motives and the way Black people and poor inner-city residents have been viewed as dispensable.
But sci-fi and social commentary have long been comfortable bedfellows, so “Project Power” is an easy genre hybrid that has fun making pointed social commentary and getting crazy while it does so. Dark and wet and garish – if it’s not raining in any particular scene, it either just did or it’s about to – it makes superpowers seem like a very bad thing in the wrong hands. And it makes it clear that just about any hand that wants to grab them is indeed a wrong hand.
It’s not always coherent, but sometimes that’s the point: When Art infiltrates a demonstration of the Power pill for a potential South American buyer, the ensuing fight turns into such utter chaos that it becomes impossible to figure out who’s doing what to whom. But the inability to follow what’s going on during the fight actually allows for a cool reveal at the end when we see who’s survived … and then it gets silly when this movie’s version of the Hulk makes an appearance to smash things.
Still, what’s a movie like this without a hefty dose of silliness? And the filmmakers know enough to poke a little fun at themselves: When Robin explains that she tagged along with Art because “I thought we were like Batman and Robin,” he snaps, “There’s no Batman and Robin. That was a movie. This is real life.”
Well, no, it’s not. But with real life on hold, you might get a kick out of this newest release from what the film’s trailer points out is “the studio that brought you ‘Extraction’ and ‘The Old Guard.'” Netflix has indeed found a niche in adrenalized action flicks that’ll keep you entertained during lockdown while providing a little more nuance than you might expect, and “Project Power” fits right into that niche.
All the Hollywood Films Arriving on Demand Early Because of the Coronavirus
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.
Disney/Warner Bros./Universal
"Trolls World Tour"
The sequel to the 2017 animated hit announced it would be available for digital download on April 10 -- the same day it was supposed to land in theaters. Now it's a VOD exclusive.
Universal Pictures
"Birds of Prey"
The Margot Robbie spinoff of 2017's "Suicide Squad" debuted on demand on March 24. The film grossed $84 million since opening on Feb. 4.
Warner Bros.
"The Hunt"
The Universal/Blumhouse horror film was first delayed from release last fall due to controversy over its violent content -- and then sidelined after its March 13 opening by the coronavirus. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"The Invisible Man"
The Universal horror film starring Elisabeth Moss grossed nearly $65 million since its Feb. 26 release in theaters. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"Emma."
Focus Features' adaptation of the Jane Austen novel opened in limited release Feb. 21 -- and picked up $10 million in ticket sales until the pandemic shut down theaters. It's available to stream now.
Focus Features
"Bloodshot"
The Vin Diesel comic-book movie opened March 6 and grossed $10 million before theaters shut down. It's available on VOD now.
Sony Pictures
"I Still Believe"
Lionsgate's biopic starring K.J. Apa as Christian music star Jeremy Camp hit VOD on March 27 -- just two weeks after it opened in theaters.
Lionsgate
"The Way Back"
Warner Bros. released the Ben Affleck drama "The Way Back" -- which grossed $13 million in theaters since its March 6 opening -- on VOD less than three weeks later, on March 24.
Warner Bros.
"Onward"
Disney and Pixar’s animated feature was made available for purchase on Friday, March 20, and the film hit Disney+ on April 3.
Disney/Pixar
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog" set a new record for video game adaptations with a $58 million domestic opening weekend on Feb. 14 and has grossed $306 million worldwide theatrically. It's available on demand now.
Paramount Pictures
"The Call of the Wild"
20th Century Studios' feel-good film starring Harrison Ford and a giant CGI dog is available on demand now.
20th Century
"Downhill"
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation, a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. It's available on demand now.
Fox Searchlight
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is the story of two teenage cousins from rural Pennsylvania who journey to New York City to seek an abortion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with a Special Jury award. It's available for VOD now.
Focus Features
"Endings, Beginnings"
"Endings, Beginnings," a romantic drama from Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan, opened early on digital on April 17 and on demand on May 1. It was meant to open theatrically on May 1.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"To the Stars"
"To the Stars," a period drama set in 1960s Oklahoma that stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman and Tony Hale, was bumped up to a digital release on April 24 and an on demand release on June 1. Martha Stephens directed the film that premiered at Sundance in 2019 and was meant to be released theatrically by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Impractical Jokers: The Movie"
truTV's first-ever feature-length film arrived early on digital on April 1. Follow James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka The Tenderloins, playing themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early '90s.
truTV
"Artemis Fowl"
Disney's adaptation of the Eoin Colfer fantasy novel "Artemis Fowl" was meant to debut in theaters on May 29 but premiered exclusively on Disney+. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.
Disney
"The Infiltrators"
The theatrical release of Oscilloscope's docu-thriller "The Infiltrators" has been postponed, and the film was released on both Cable On Demand and Digital Platforms starting June 2.
Oscilloscope
"Working Man"
The March 27 theatrical release of "Working Man" has been canceled due to the theater closures, and the film premiered on May 5 via Video On Demand.
Brainstorm Media
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story"
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story," a sports documentary executive produced by NBA star Steph Curry, was made available for streaming on the new service Altavod between April 16-18 for $7.99 and is available for pre-order beginning April 9. 10% of all the proceeds will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts. The documentary tells the story of the player, Kenny Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot, and it features interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bobby Knight and more.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
"Scoob!"
Warner Bros. announced on April 11 that it would release the family animated film “Scoob!” for digital ownership and premium video on-demand on May 15, making it the second film (after Universal's "Trolls World Tour") to cancel a planned theatrical release and head straight to home release pandemic.
Warner Bros.
"The King of Staten Island"
"The King of Staten Island," the comedy starring and co-written by "SNL" star Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, skipped its theatrical release date of June 19 and opened one week early on VOD everywhere on June 12.
Universal Pictures
"The High Note"
"The High Note," the latest film from "Late Night" director Nisha Ganatra that stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, made its premiere on VOD on May 29. It was meant to open on May 8 theatrically.
Focus Features
"Waiting for the Barbarians"
Ciro Guerra's film starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson was originally slated for a theatrical release but was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films to instead be released via cable on demand and on digital in August
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Irresistible"
Jon Stewart's latest film, a political comedy called "Irresistible," will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26. The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.
Daniel McFadden / Focus Features
"My Spy"
The Dave Bautista action comedy "My Spy" was originally meant for a theatrical release from STXfilms and was due to hit theaters in March. Amazon then acquired the film from STX and will now release it on streaming on June 26.
Amazon Studios
"The One and Only Ivan"
The animated Disney film based on Thea Sharrock's best-selling children's book "The One and Only Ivan" is the latest feature to skip theaters and move to Disney+. The movie features the voice talent of Angelina Jolie, Danny Devito, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren. The film was previously slated for theatrical release on August 14 but will now debut on Disney+ one week later on Aug. 21.
Disney
"The Secret Garden"
The re-imagining of the book "The Secret Garden" was meant to open in UK theaters in April but delayed its theatrical release until August. But STXfilms will now release the StudioCanal and Heyday Films movie on PVOD for $19.99 on August 7 in North America. "The Secret Garden" stars Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.
STXfilms
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”Irresistible“ joins a list of big films heading to digital home entertainment platforms early
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.