PROJECT POWER is a Science-Fi and Action genre Netflix movie. Unfortunately, this is yet another Netflix film that doesn't hit the mark altogether. Netflix generally produces amazing series and too many lackluster films. Some certain examples that I particularly liked, such as Hush and The Old Guard.

Despite a fantastic team behind the camera, and a cast full of talented actors, we certainly set our hopes too high for that.

The concept of Project Power is very simple and interesting. A pill (or drug) has been developed which will release your inner X-Men powers for five minutes after taking it. Well, in theory anyway. After all, you have no idea what your power is and maybe it’ll make you explode within seconds.

And no, you won’t come back after five minutes, if you’ve blown yourself to bits.

Actually, this is a part of the plot that I really like. It does, however, also feel quite gimmicky since the same can be said for a gun. Sure, it might give you power but it can also get you killed.

In any case, the concept of Project Power ensures some awesome action scenes and gorgeous visuals. The story and characters in this “X-Men Light” movie are simply too boring. And with a runtime that is at least a good 15-20 minutes too long, we’re in trouble.


Despite a great look and a somewhat lackluster story, Project Power does also win a lot of points with its wonderful cast.

This time we get Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) who might appear to be the lead character on the poster. But he isn’t actually in the movie itself. However, Jamie Foxx does play the character that seems to be the most complex and fleshed-out. As far as carrying the story, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has that task for much of the plot.

Most of you will probably know Joseph Gordon-Levitt from amazing movies such as Inception (2010) or Looper (2012). And yes, those movies are much better at showing what an accomplished actor he is. In Project Power, he isn’t given much to work with. He does well with what he’s given, but still.

The primary character is the teen girl, Robin, played by Dominique Fishback. She also gets more to work with even if her character is quite the stereotype in many ways. Don’t worry though, the Robin character is not any kind of irritating kid or brooding teenager. Just in a few cases, which seem almost mandatory.

I feel very confident that we’ll see a lot more of the very talented Dominique Fishback in the next couple of years.

Watch Project Power on Netflix

As already mentioned, our expectations for this Netflix movie were high due to the filmmakers behind it. Project Power was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. They made the Catfish-documentary back in 2010 which launched a very successful reality TV series on MTV.

After making the documentary they went on to direct both Paranormal Activity 3 and Paranormal Activity 4. Since then, movies like Nerve (2016) and Viral (2016) have also been directed by them.

Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman do tend to stick with genre productions and never make anything really bad. Sure, the most recent productions seem to be money-makers more than innovative in any way. Still, that’s part of the game. You need to get people to the movie theater and their movies have (mostly) accomplished this.

The script was written by Mattson Tomlin, who is relatively young (born in 1990) and getting his feature film debut as a screenwriter with Project Power. However, he already has more movies in the making including one that is very interesting.

Mattson Tomlin wrote the script for the upcoming The Batman (2021) with Robert Pattinson in the title role. He’s writing this script with the director of the movie, Matt Reeves. For this reason alone, I’m thinking Mattson Tomlin has a lot more talent than what Project Power might lead you to believe.

And yes, obviously you need to check out this movie on Netflix. It’s very light and easy to digest (and forget), so just let it entertain you for a Friday night and be done with it.

Project Power released on Netflix on August 14, 2020.

Details
Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro, Machine Gun Kelly, Amy Landecker, Courtney B. Vance

Plot
When a pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes hits the streets of New Orleans, a teenage dealer and a local cop must team with an ex-soldier to take down the group responsible for its creation.