Project Power

Last updated

Project Power
Project Power poster.jpeg
Promotional release poster
Directed by
Written by Mattson Tomlin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Simmonds
Edited byJeff McEvoy
Music by Joseph Trapanese
Production
companies
  • Screen Arcade
  • Supermarche
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • August 14, 2020 (2020-08-14)
Running time
114 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85.1 million [2]

Project Power is a 2020 American science fiction action film [3] directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, produced by Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, and written by Mattson Tomlin. It stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback, alongside Colson Baker, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker and Allen Maldonado, and follows a drug dealer, a police officer, and a former soldier who team up to stop the distribution of a pill that gives the user superpowers for five minutes.

Contents

The film was released on August 14, 2020, by Netflix. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, action sequences and visuals but criticized the screenplay. [4]

Plot

In near-future New Orleans, a mysterious distributor offers a free supply of "Power"—a pill that grants various superpowers for five minutes—to a group of drug dealers, including one named Newt.

Six weeks later, Newt's teenage cousin Robin, a dealer herself, is nearly robbed by customers seeking Power. She is rescued by NOPD Officer Frank Shaver, one of her regular buyers. Art, a man hunting for the distributor "Biggie", tracks down Newt, who dies after a struggle when he overdoses on Power. Frank foils a bank robbery by a Power-enhanced thief, but is suspended for using Power himself. His captain reveals that government personnel are pressuring him to terminate any investigation into Power, and gives Frank a picture of the man they suspect to be the source of the drug: Art.

Using Newt's phone to find and abduct Robin, Art forces her to take him to the drug cartel's safehouse. He is shot while eliminating several of the cartel's men, and discovers that Power users throughout New Orleans are being monitored as test subjects for the drug. Art bonds with Robin as they treat his wounds, and reveals that after leaving the military, he was recruited by Teleios, a private defense contractor who experimented on him to create superpowers. His daughter Tracy, born after the experiments, exhibited powers without ever taking the drug, and was abducted by Wallace, a Teleios operative.

Art and Robin find Biggie hosting a private demonstration of Project Power for a potential buyer near the Superdome, where large groups of Saints fans are arriving for a home game. Biggie claims that Power represents "the next evolution of the human species", with the pill's powers derived from the abilities of animals, such as the chameleon or the wolverine frog. Art interrogates Biggie at gunpoint and learns of a ship, the Genesis, but Frank intervenes, having tracked other users to the demonstration. Biggie takes a dose of Power, forcing Art, Robin, and Frank to flee as Art kills Biggie in an explosion.

Frank arrests Art and informs his captain, but Art explains that the Power epidemic in New Orleans is mass testing to stabilize the drug, and that Tracy is the source of the drug's powers. Having convinced Frank that his captain is actually taking orders from Teleios, Art purposely has himself captured by Teleios and taken aboard the Genesis. Frank and Robin infiltrate the ship, and Art persuades a guard to free him. Frank and Art kill Wallace, while Robin finds Tracy and reunites her with her father.

As the four attempt to flee, Robin is captured by Dr. Gardner, the head of Project Power, who demands Tracy in exchange for Robin's life. Art confronts Gardner, using Power, which gives him the ability of a pistol shrimp to finally kill Gardner and her men. Despite this costing Art his life, Tracy ultimately resurrects him with her powers. They all escape the ship.

Frank intends to expose Project Power to the press, while Art decides to move on. He gives Robin his truck and a bag full of money to cover her mother's medical needs, telling her to use the greatness inside of her. Art and Tracy depart, finally free. Meanwhile, Robin begins a new career as a rapper.

Cast

Production

In October 2017, it was announced that Netflix had acquired Mattson Tomlin's spec script Power in a bidding war with several other studios. Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost would direct the film, with Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless producing. [5] In September 2018, Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback joined the cast of the then-untitled film. [6] [7] In October 2018, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Allen Maldonado, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Machine Gun Kelly, and Casey Neistat joined the cast of the film. [8] [9] In November 2018, Jim Klock joined the cast of the film. [10] In December 2018, Courtney B. Vance joined the cast of the film. [11] In July 2020, it was announced that the film would officially be titled Project Power. [12]

Filming

Principal photography began on October 8, 2018 and concluded on December 22, 2018. [13] [14] Filming took place in New Orleans. [15] [16] On October 31, 2018, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was injured during filming while riding a bicycle. [16] The film had a total production budget of $85.1 million, with $80.4 million spent on-location in Louisiana. [2]

Reception

Viewership

Project Power was released by Netflix on August 14, 2020. [17] It was the top-streamed film on the platform in its first two weekends before finishing in second place in its third. [18] [19] [20] In October 2020, Netflix reported 75 million households watched the film over its first four weeks of release. [21] In November, Variety reported the film was the 12th-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to that point. [22]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on 178 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Although it wastes some of the potential of its premise, Project Power is a slick, fun action thriller - and features a star-making turn from Dominique Fishback." [23] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [24]

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter , David Rooney said that "what makes Project Power entertaining is its canny combination of familiar ingredients in a textured real-world milieu that gives it fresh flavor." [25] Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "C+" and said that "Project Power wrestles with a litany of thorny moral issues (and not only those of the 'great power, great responsibility' vibe) but never fully engages with them. There's broad strokes about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans residents, and a paper-thin exploration of the criminal implications of a cop not only using the drug, but buying it off a teenage dealer." [26]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Visual Effects Society Awards April 6, 2021 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature Ivan Moran, Leslie Hough, Joao Sita, Matthew Twyford, Yves DebonoNominated [27]
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal FeatureYin Lai Jimmy Leung, Jonathan Edward Lyddon-Towl, Pierpaolo Navarini, Michelle LeeWon
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal FeatureRussell Horth, Matthew Patience, Julien RousseauWon

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Initial Certification Search" (Type "Power" in the search box). Fastlane NextGen. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ "'Power' player: Jamie Foxx on his new Netflix film and becoming the first Black Pixar lead". EW.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ Ho, Pang-Chieh (August 14, 2020). "Is The Jamie Foxx Superhero Movie 'Project Power' Any Good? Here's What The Reviews Say". DIGG. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ Lang, Brent (October 16, 2017). "Netflix Wins Bidding War for 'Power,' White Hot Spec Script (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 20, 2018). "Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Join Netflix's Untitled Henry Joost-Ariel Schulman Sci-Fi Feature". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 27, 2018). "Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Netflix Sci-Fi Movie Finds Female Lead In 'The Deuce's Dominique Fishback". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (October 10, 2018). "Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Colson Baker & More Join Jamie Foxx/Joseph Gordon-Levitt Netflix Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ Neistat, Casey (November 5, 2018). "weird flex but ok". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  10. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (November 28, 2018). "Bree Condon To Play Kimberly Guilfoyle In Jay Roach Fox News Film; Chelsea Harris Books 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  11. ↑ Schulman, Ariel (December 20, 2018). "That's a wrap on @courtneybvance . guy is cooler than a polar bears toenails". Instagram . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  12. ↑ Hersko, Tyler (July 15, 2020). "'Project Power' Trailer: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Team for Netflix's Next Summer Tentpole". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ Schulman, Ariel (December 22, 2018). "🥂 THATS A WRAP 🥂 Love to every single person that worked on this thing. coming to Netflix in a little while..." Instagram . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ Schulman, Ariel (October 8, 2018). "Day one cheesin. 🎬". Instagram . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  15. ↑ Scott, Mike (November 5, 2018). "Is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt wearing Steve Gleason's Saints jersey? Yep. Here's why". NOLA.com . Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Levine, Daniel S. (November 1, 2018). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Injured in On-Set Bike Crash". PopCulture.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  17. ↑ EW Staff. "The 25 must-watch movies of the strangest summer ever". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  18. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (August 17, 2020). "Canadian Box Office Reopens as 'Unhinged' and 'SpongeBob Movie' Take the Lead". IndieWire . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  19. ↑ "'The Vanished' Leads New VOD Releases, but the Top 10 Charts Agreed on Little else". August 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  20. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (August 31, 2020). "'Bill & Ted Face the Music' Tops Multiple VOD Charts as Chadwick Boseman Films Soar". IndieWire . Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
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  22. ↑ Bridge, Gavin (November 4, 2020). "DATA: 'BORAT 2' SECOND ONLY TO 'HAMILTON' IN MOST-WATCHED U.S. SVOD MOVIES OF 2020". Variety. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Project Power (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Project Power Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  25. ↑ Rooney, David (August 13, 2020). "'Project Power': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  26. ↑ Erbland, Kate (August 13, 2020). "'Project Power' Review: Jamie Foxx and Dominique Fishback Fight Pill-Popping Superheroes". IndieWire . Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  27. ↑ Pederson, Erik (March 2, 2021). "VES Awards Nominations: 'Tenet', 'Midnight Sky', 'Extraction', 'Soul' & 'Mandalorian' Among Titles In Visual Effects Hunt". Deadline. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
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