If you'd like to be surprised by the Project Power film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 1:09, because it gives away too much of the plot. It basically provides a summary of the film, up to the ending scene.
Project Power, movie (2020) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
video © Netflix
Article updated: 2022.02.20
The Project Power (2020) is a futuristic fantasy police action film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Project Power, movie (2020)
Original title: Project Power
Series: -
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: futuristic fantasy police action, Style: sci-fi, futuristic fantasy, futuristic, fantasy, action, police action, super-human abilities
Release: 2020.08.14
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.01), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Project Power, a futuristic fantasy police action movie from 2020. It's about police detectives trying to stop the spreading of a drug that gives superhuman powers to the users. The Project Power film is watchable, I recommend it to fans of the genre.
Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
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Review (spoiler-free) - Project Power, movie (2020)
I've seen advertisements for the movie, so I knew it's going to be released. I didn't jump on it immediately, but after a while, I thought to give it a chance. I've seen the trailer previously. I might have even read or seen reviews of it, before sitting down to watch it.
The Project Power movie is about police detectives trying to stop the spreading of a drug that gives superhuman powers to the users.
The story is okay. The pacing varies. There are no proper character arcs, but there are sudden changes in the characters, instead of getting built up. I didn't find major logical problems.
The cinematography is good. The action scenes are fun, and they are easy to follow. The special effects are sometimes good, sometimes just acceptable.
We don't really get to know the characters, and as they are all unlikeable, it's hard to get attached to them. The actors are good.
The music (by Joseph Trapanese) is okay, it fits the story.
Project Power is a watchable futuristic fantasy police action movie, I think fans of the genre might enjoy it.
My experience
I was not entirely satisfied with Project Power (2020), but it was okay to watch.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). Project Power is a watchable film.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). Project Power had some good parts.
Rewatchability: Average. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested, but I can imagine people liking this movie for the action scenes.
Chance of watching it again: Unlikely. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again.
Chance of watching a sequel: High. I'd sure watch it.
Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like Project Power.
If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.
If you prefer visuals over story, there are some nice scenes in the movie.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in super-hero crime stories, I think it's worth watching the Project Power movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
The visuals probably look better if you watch it in cinema.
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Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
Review with spoilers - Project Power, movie (2020)
I liked the action scenes of the Project Power movie, although I didn't like the plot itself.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the movie.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Project Power film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
A shipment of new drugs is brought to the city so the dealers can sell it. Based on the title, and some references to "power", I assume this is a drug that gives super-human powers. So the story will either go criminal, and we'll root for the dealers, or the other way around, and we'll root for the cops.
Execution: In the end, it was the rooting for the cops. The story was built around this shipment of drugs, so I consider it promise fulfilled.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A shipment of super-power drugs are brought the city (New Orleans) by a shady guy (Rodrigo Santoro as Biggie). Dealers are given a sample so they can sell it throughout the city.
A petty dealer (Dominique Fishback as Robin Reilly) is saved by robber by a cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Frank Shaver).
There's a black guy (Jamie Foxx as Art), trying to find the source of the drug. He finds a dealer (Colson Baker / Machine Gun Kelly as Newt), and fights him, but the dealer uses the drug to gain fire powers. The dealer is still defeated, and starts to talk, but the drug overdose causes him to explode.
The cop stops an invisible bank robber by using the drug to become bulletproof. He is found out, and suspended for drug use. The police is looking for the source of the drug, and they suspect it's the black guy.
The black guy finds the petty dealer, and forces her to reveal a drug den. People start shooting, some die, the black guy gets injured. The petty dealer helps him, and he tells her that he was an early test subject for the drug. His daughter was kidnapped, and he wants to get her back.
The shady guy holds a demonstration, that the black guy, the petty dealer visit. People start shooting, some die. The black guy interrogates the shady guy, and when he starts to talk, the cop arrives, who tracked some mobsters there. The shady guy takes the drug, turning him into a giant. They start to fight the shady guy, killing him.
The black guy tells the cop that the drugs come from a corporation (Teleios) that use his daughter to make the drugs. The corporation has ties to the local police. The black guy lets himself be taken by the bad guys to get to their ship. The cop and the petty dealer sneak on board. As the security tries to get the cop and the petty dealer, the black guy is left alone with a single guard, whom he is able convince to free him, by threatening him with his power. They find his daughter, and beat the bad guys, but the black guy dies from the use of his powers. Luckily, his daughter's power can bring him back.
The setting
It's set on contemporary fantasy Earth, where special drugs can give superhuman powers to their users.
Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
The power drug
There's a capsule that gives a superhuman power for a limited duration (5 minutes). Sometimes the side-effects can be dangerous.
Taking additional doses gives enhanced levels of power.
The powers in the drugs supposedly come from animal abilities. I find this hard to believe, especially as there are some powers (like starting fires, or resurrecting people) that's not natural in any animal.
The company that produces the drugs monitors the users.
Children conceived by drug users may get superhuman powers without taking the drugs themselves.
The use of the abilities deform the users, except for the protagonists.
Powers
- Flaming body: The overdose causes explosion.
- Camouflage skin
- Bulletproof skin
- Turning into giant
- Resurrecting people
- Turning super-cold
- Creating a heat wave
- Exploding body: This might just be a side effect.
- Super strength
- Super-flexible joints
- Bone knives growing out of the body
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Project Power film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. There are some flashbacks.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.
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Things I liked
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Mattson Tomlin). Since then, I've seen Mother/Android (2021), that was just bad, Project Power is better.
From the directors (Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman), I've seen Viral (2016), that was good.
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Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
Analysis of the story - Project Power, movie (2020)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Project Power.
Problematic elements
The actions of the story often didn't make sense, they were acting as if they've read the script, so they knew when they need to hurry to finish things, and when do they have the time to do so.
While they were in a hurry, the protagonist stopped to listen to the rapping of the girl, just to complete her rapping arc.
The whole rapping story-arc was somewhat pointless, and didn't really make sense. The girl was lazy, couldn't focus on tasks and she was socially awkward. I get it that this was a good basis for dreaming about being a famous rapper who is successful, but these traits are not ideal for that. I liked it when she couldn't rap in the classroom - this was believable. Rapping for the detective would have been also okay, were it not at a time, when they had to go somewhere. However, in the end we are told that she became a famous rapper, without anything that would have shown us how.
Unanswered questions
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Possibilities of improvement
How it could have been better?
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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Project Power, movie (2020)
image © Netflix
Uses for the film - Project Power, movie (2020)
Plot
- There's a drug that gives temporary super-human powers. Sometimes it has unpleasant side effects.
- Evil people captured the kid of a guy. The guy wants to find the kid and get the kid back.
Scenes
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Assault on the base: The defender sets up the playing area, that's a defensible base, with some closed cells. The defender chooses a cell to contain the attacker's agent, and another cell to contain a prisoner. The defender deploys their forces anywhere on the playing area. The defender has regular units, with medium armour and weapons. The attacker has an agent that's unarmed, but the agent has very good skills, and he also brought inside tools that allow him to open the cell, by spending an action. The attacker also has an assault team, that has breached the wall of the base. The attacker chooses an outer wall section, puts a marker on it, and places the attacker models touching the inside of that wall. They can also leave the base by touching the marker. The attackers are able to open the doors of the cells with one action. If the attackers open the cell of the prisoner, the prisoner model gets controlled by the attacker. The attacker wins if they leave with the prisoner and the agent, while more than half of the assault team is still alive. The defender wins if the agent and the prisoner stay.
Uncertain cells (harder for the attacker, easier for the defender): The defender puts papers into every cell, with the empty side up. One of them has Agent, and the other Prisoner written on it, the others have Empty. When the agent decides to leave, the defender reveals which cell contains the agent. Otherwise, the content of the cell is revealed when an attacker opens it.
Random cell for the agent (harder for the attacker): Every cell has an inmate, but even the defender doesn't know which one contains the agent of the attacker. When the agent wants to leave the cell, the attacker player points at a still closed cell, and rolls a d6. On a 1, the agent was in that cell. If the chosen cell is one of the last two (if the prisoner is still not revealed) or the last one (if the prisoner is already revealed), then the agent is automatically in that one.
Random cell for the prisoner (harder for the attacker): Every cell has an inmate, but even the defender doesn't know which one contains the prisoner the attacker is looking for. When the attackers open a cell, roll a d6. On a 1, the prisoner is in that cell. If the chosen cell is one of the last two (if the agent's cell is still not revealed) or the last one (if the agent's cell is already revealed), then the prisoner is automatically in that one.
Random access (easier for the attacker, harder for the defender): The attackers have found a secret way to get inside. Choose a random location, and place a marker on it. Place the attacker models around that marker. They can leave the playing area by touching the marker.
Non-cooperative prisoner (harder for the attacker, easier for the defender): The prisoner doesn't want to go with the attackers. The player can choose to knock him out, making him Captured, who needs to be dragged. Otherwise every time the attacker activates the prisoner, the attacker can roll a d6. On a 1, the attacker decides on the action the prisoner takes.
Control room: When the defender sets up the playing area, also place a control room, with a device. Models touching the device are able to open and close the doors of the base.
Special climate: There are special areas on the playing area, that has their own unusual features (freezing cold, extreme heat, whirlwind of crystal shards, etc). Regular units exposed to these features get damaged.
Protected units: If there are units in the force that are able to withstand the feature, the objectives of that force can be in those areas.
Unprotected units: If none of the forces have units that can enter the area, the are still some options:
Choke points: These areas are in choke points between the starting points of the forces, and the units from both side have to push through them to reach their own objectives.
Creatures: There are creatures inside, native to the area, that are able to use ranged attacks, or able to leave their area for one turn, but they have to return in the next turn, otherwise, they die of exposure.
Temporary protection: There are special items the force can buy from their army points. If a model activates it, it is protected against that feature for N turns.
Uncertain protection (harder for the player): After activation, roll a d6 at the end of each turn. On a 6, the protection ends.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.
People with super-human powers: Mostly human-sized modern human civilians, with additional parts indicating their powers.
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Similar stories - Project Power, movie (2020)
Novels
Gérald Bronner: How I Became a Superhero (2007): The novel this movie was based on.
Graphic novels
Powers (2000-): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
The Boys (2006-2012, 2020): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
X-Factor (Marvel): I think there was an X-Factor story-line about drugs that gave you mutant powers. The protagonists work against super-powered criminals.
Movies
Comment je suis devenu super-héros / How I Became a Superhero (2020): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
TV series & episodes
Powers (2015-2016): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals.
The Boys (2019-2020-): In a somewhat similar contemporary setting, the protagonists work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
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Frequently asked questions - Project Power, movie (2020)
Is the Project Power film based on a book or comics?
No, Project Power is not based on either books or comics.
Is the Project Power film a remake or reboot?
No, the Project Power film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Project Power? Does Project Power have end credit scenes?
Yes, there's a post credit scene in Project Power.
Where can I see Project Power? What is Project Power playing on? What streaming service is Project Power on? Where can I watch Project Power online? Is Project Power available on Netflix? Is Project Power on Amazon?
As of 2022.02.06, Project Power is only available on Netflix.
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Resources - Project Power, movie (2020)
Official
Netflix: Project Power: Official article.
Information
IMDB: Project Power (2020): Database article.
WikiPedia: Project Power: Database article.
Letterboxd: Project Power 2020: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Project Power 2020: Database article.
TVTropes: Film / Project Power: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Project Power film (2020)
: Review video about the Project Power film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Project Power film (2020)
: Review article of the Project Power movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - Project Power movie (2020)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Project Power.¤
https://loganbushey.com/2020/09/10/project-power-2020/
https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/08/movie-review-project-power-2020-2/
WardWorks (for Cross the Netflix Stream): : Review article with spoilers.
https://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/2020/08/project-power-netflix-movie-review.html
Nate Zoebl: : Review article about the film with no spoilers.
republished on Psycho Drive-In
https://nathanzoebl.com/2020/08/18/project-power-2020/
https://psychodrivein.com/project-power-2020/
https://twitter.com/PsychoDriveIn/status/1296915429982531584
https://www.facebook.com/psychodrivein/posts/1609285895899862
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Buying the product - Project Power, movie (2020)
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Have you seen the Project Power film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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