Project Power

While Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment have been more or less successful in adapting a number of comic books featuring their superheroes to film, it is interesting to see that other film studios are also trying to approach the genre differently. Such is the case of the film Project Power directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost (Paranormal Activity 3 and (2011-2012), Nerve (2016), Viral (2016)).

By transposing the setting of the story far from New York, Los Angeles and other Metropolis, and more precisely in the city of New Orleans, the scenario puts forward a new drug in the form of a pill releasing different super-powers according to each person. They can thus increase strength, transform a person into a human torch, an invisible man or a real giant. The only hope of the New Orleans forces is Frank (Joseph Gordon Levitt) who has decided to fight against the dealers offering this new drug by injecting himself. His crusade will make him cross paths with a young drug dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a father (a former soldier), looking for his daughter who has been kidnapped.

Mattson Tomlin's screenplay (writer of the much-anticipated The Batman) not only cleverly revisits the world of superheroes while avoiding endless action scenes, but also takes a more adult approach by featuring a trio of endearing characters (Art, Frank and Robin) and offering an effective and perfectly paced thriller. Of course, the original idea of super-power pills could have given rise to much more spectacular scenes such as the X-Men universe, but the result easily holds up and allows us to have a good time and above all to find the actors Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in great shape.

It's also interesting to see that the two directors preferred to focus on the main plot rather than aligning spectacular and outrageous action scenes and emphasize the fact that some unscrupulous people will do anything to test new drugs in a city before launching a worldwide production. By laying the groundwork for a universe that is conducive to the possible development of a new cinematic saga, Project Power once again shows that Netflix is capable of offering films worthy of today's blockbusters. In the current context, this new deal shows that the Hollywood industry is constantly evolving and, above all, that viewers can discover new films that can rival current cinema releases.

Project Power
Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Produced by Eric Newman, Bryan Unkeless
Written by Mattson Tomlin
Starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro, Colson Baker, Allen Maldonado, Amy Landecker, Courtney B. Vance
Music by Joseph Trapanese
Cinematography: Michael Simmonds
Edited by Jeff McEvoy
Production companies: Screen Arcade, Supermarche
Distributed by Netflix
Release date: August 14, 2020 (United States)
Running time: 114 minutes

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