The Power Within (1979 film)

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The Power Within
The Power Within film frame (1979).jpg
GenreFantasy
Written byWilliam Clark
Edward J. Lakso
Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
Starring Daniel Pilon
Peter Billingsley
Christopher Hewett
Music by John Addison
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Aaron Spelling
E. Duke Vincent
ProducerAlan Godfrey
CinematographyEmil Oster
EditorDennis C. Duckwall
Running time74 mins.
Production company Aaron Spelling Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseMay 11, 1979 (1979-05-11)

The Power Within is a 1979 American television film.

Contents

The film was originally an unsold TV pilot and is also known as The Power, The Man with the Power, and The Power Man. [1]

Plot

A pilot develops super powers after being struck by lightning. [2] [3]

Cast

Reception

The Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas called The Power Within "amusingly absurd". [4] Gail Williams of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film for being "surprisingly entertaining" and liked the "convincingly earnest performances" by Joe Rassulo and Joanna Mills. [5] In a negative review, Variety said of the plot, "If it all sounds like kid stuff, it was indeed, with performances no better than they had to be." [6] VideoHound rated the film 1.5 bones. [7]

The film critic Leslie Halliwell criticized the film, writing, "You'd think there'd be a comic strip series in a hero who can shoot lightning from his fingertips, but this busted pilot bungles even that." [8] Shock described the film as "an Aaron Spelling produced dud about an ordinary dude with electrical super powers, which hoped to lure in viewers with its low-rent science-fiction premise, since once-popular shows like THE BIONIC WOMAN and MAN FROM ATLANTIS had run their course." [9]

References

  1. ↑ Goldberg, Lee (1991). Unsold TV Pilots: The Almost Complete Guide to Everything You Never Saw on TV. New York: Citadel Press. p. 47. ISBN   0-8065-1242-3 . Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Internet Archive.
  2. ↑ Marill, Alvin H. (1980). Movies Made for Television: The Telefeature and the Mini-series, 1964–1979. Farncombe, Godalming, Surrey: LSP Books. p. 311. ISBN   0-85321-081-0 . Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1981). Television, 1970–1980. San Diego: A. S. Barnes & Company. p. 271. ISBN   0-498-02577-2 . Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (1979-05-11). "TV Movie Reviews: ABC Airs Double Feature Tonight". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Williams, Gail (1979-05-11). "Television Review: The Power Within". The Hollywood Reporter . p. 7. ProQuest   2471822321.
  6. ↑ Bok (1979-05-23). "Television Reviews: The Power Within". Variety . Vol. 295, no. 3. p. 68. ProQuest   1401357617.
  7. ↑ Schwartz, Carol A. (1997). Videohound's Sci-Fi Experience: Your Quantum Guide to the Video Universe. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 210. ISBN   0-7876-0615-4 . Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1985) [1980]. Halliwell's Television Companion (2 ed.). London: Paladin Books. p. 496. ISBN   0-586-08525-4 . Retrieved 2025-07-05– via Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ Shock Cinema 44(c2c)(2013)(TLK EMPIRE).


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