What would you do if you could have superhero-like powers at the snap of a finger?

Netflix’s “Project Power,” came out on Aug. 15 and has become one of the most-watched movies on the platform. It held a spot on the Netflix Top Ten list for 13 consecutive days, which is surprisingly difficult to do. 

“Project Power,” directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman (“Nerve”), is about a pill that hits the streets of New Orleans, which can either be fatal or give the user unpredictable powers for five minutes. This prompts one spunky teenage dealer, Robin (Dominique Fishback), and do-gooder local cop, Frank Shaver (Joseph Gorden-Levitt), to team up with determined ex-soldier Art (Jamie Foxx), and shut down the production of the drug, and save his daughter, who has been kidnapped by the dealers of the drug.

Overall the plot was pretty predictable, but that’s not to say the road to the end of the movie wasn’t entertaining. Although it follows the usual “good guys win, bad guys lose,” narrative, the movie is jam-packed with plenty of action that makes it worth watching, although it may not be suitable for children under the age of 13.  

The cinematographers do a good job of close up angles that make you feel like you’re sitting right in front of the fights during some scenes. This is especially the case in one of the beginning fight scenes when Fox’s character Art and popular rapper Machine Gun Kelly’s Newt throwdown in a rundown apartment building. 

The production team was able to show the types of superpowers given to the characters courtesy of the pill in great detail, which made the idea of having superpowers very realistic and plausible. Like when Gordon-Levitt’s character gets shot in the head, and the scene is slowed down to see how his power stops the bullet. Or alternatively when Foxx’s character takes the power pill and the scene slows down to show the effects of his power. Honestly, small additions like these really make the movie worth watching.

Something else to appreciate about the movie was how actors Fishback, and Gordon-Levitt are able to balance the seriousness of the situations while also adding in bits of humor. The humor that the scriptwriters managed to integrate into an overall serious movie is able to alleviate some of the tension in the movie making it a smoother plot.

The other thing that particularly stood out about this movie was its amazing soundtrack, which included African American artists like queer rapper Chika, Lil Wayne, and the late Nipsey Hustle. The way they included tracks about female empowerment as part of Robin’s narrative personally makes you appreciate the movie much more. So if you appreciate good rap and harsh burn verses watch this movie. 

The only thing that truly brings this movie down is the questionable glorification of taking drugs to get ahead or to level with an opponent. In the movie, Gordon-Levitt’s character tells the younger Robin that he’s just trying to “level the playing field” as he buys the powerful drug from her. This is not okay because it perpetuates the notion that it’s okay to take a drug to get ahead or make you just as good as someone else. Teens don’t need to soak in that kind of message; especially since it’s commonplace to use Adderall to get ahead in school.

Despite all its slightly obvious pitfalls, it wasn’t entirely enough for people to dislike the movie, one person (diivinebeautii) even commenting this on an Instagram post made by Kyana Simone Simpson, the actress who played Art’s daughter Tracy in the movie:

(Instagram)

Despite its predictability, “Project Power’s” action scenes, special effects, and soundtrack make the movie worth watching and earns it a B+ rating. Although it would have undoubtedly gotten an A+ had it not promoted using drugs as a shortcut to success.