“NO ONE MAN SHOULD HAVE ALL THAT POWER. THE CLOCK’S TICKING, I JUST COUNT THE HOURS. STOP TRIPPING, I’M JUST TRIPPING OFF THE POWER.”

Sorry about that… But, honestly, the fact this movie didn’t even have this song in the credits is a travesty. What a wasted opportunity!

Project Power is the latest addition to the Netflix Originals catalog, and it’s a superhero movie – but not really. In this world, you can be a superhero—or at least have superpowers—for like five minutes, and it could be any power you want. You’ve just gotta take a pill—literally. 

The concept of this film is really cool and full of potential. I mean, a world where drugs are floating around that can make anyone the next Superman or Incredible Hulk for a few minutes? Sounds like a wonderful and chaotic story waiting to unfold! Unfortunately, this film doesn’t deliver 100% on its promise. The concept doesn’t really meet reality.

The movie, while not entirely boring and genuinely fun at times, is surprisingly tame. It boasts of a concept that, if it was real, would send our world into chaos. But, instead of exploring the possibilities, the writers give viewers a generic plot where Jamie Foxx teams up with a teen girl to help find the people who are responsible for making these pills so he can rescue his kidnapped daughter. Good guys chase bad guys… the usual. I felt that this concept deserved a plot of more epic proportions.

All in all, the film isn’t bad. It’s harmless. One thing that I liked  in particular was how competently filmed this movie was. I liked the use of color and lighting. They used blues and reds especially well. The cinematography was spot-on. Several shots were impressively composed and executed!

 The acting isn’t bad, either. Dominique Fishback (who, by the way, is 29 years old) plays Robin, the teenager who helps Jamie Foxx’s character on his journey. She’s entertaining and energetic. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a cop. By the way… Hi, Joseph! It’s been a while. Seems like the last time I saw you in a movie was The Dark Knight Rises. JGL is always fun to watch in any movie. It’s good to see him back in the game.

 Jamie Foxx is fine in this movie. I liked his chemistry with Dominique. The thing is, Jamie often gets type-cast in “tough Jamie Foxx” roles, and it’s easy for any actor to let playing the same persona grow stale. There’s good “tough Jamie Foxx” (see Django Unchained) and there’s boring “tough Jamie Foxx” (see Sleepless). I’d say this performance is right in between those two. Of course, it may also have something to do with how interesting and well-made each film is or isn’t. In which case, Power Project could also fit right in between Django Unchained and Sleepless in that category.

 I was disappointed that the CGI was not that great. It’s pretty awkward at times – I’m talking videogame levels of bad CGI. Perhaps the budget did not allow for quality CGI throughout. It looked like the best CGI was saved for the climax of the film.

 There are also a few awkward—dare I say cringe-worthy?—moments in the scenes where Robin tries to freestyle. They’re very strange to watch. What makes it more awkward is that it feels like the movie is trying to make it seem like she’s good at freestyling when, in reality, she’s just saying her lines from the script. It’s a small complaint, but it did make those scenes difficult to watch.

 So – is this movie bad? No. Is it as great as it could’ve been? Also no. It works as an action-flick to throw on to pass the time, but, in a couple of weeks, I’m sure we’ll all forget about it.

 “NOW THIS WILL BE A BEAUTIFUL DEATH, JUMPING OUT THE WINDOW, LETTING EVERYTHING GO. YOU GOT THE POWER TO LET POWER GO?”

 Sorry again. Had to!