Who doesn’t want incredible super powers? Jaime Foxx as a tortured Black male superhero struggled with the pain of dangerous and addictive super powers brought on with underground pills. Spoiler Alert! Don’t keep reading if you haven’t watched the movie.
Jaime Foxx played the role of an anti-hero in Project Power. High action, gratuitous violence and a deadly conspiracy. I enjoyed seeing the twists and turns of his character. I say he’s an anti-hero because, well, lots of killing, going on… and he was very good at the task. The storyline was clear, they took his baby girl and he was going to save her. As a parent that wasn’t able to save her child, I understand the need to take out anyone who would seek to hold your child hostage.
Admittedly, there were a few storyline questions about the pills, super soldiers and the role his daughter played in this deadly game of human evolution. Obviously, the drugs are being tested on a disenfranchised New Orleans and being sold as a “drug” of desire. People want superhuman abilities and will take them... even with horrible consequences. The pill conspiracy resonated well.
I wished they spent more time sharing the relationship he had with his daughter. Where was her mom? How long had they been on the run? What was their father-daughter experience about? There were veiled references from the villainous doctor about Henrietta Lacks and using his daughter (against her will) as a science experiment but the conversations were cursory but it wasn’t clear how that related to the father-daughter relationship. Did he feel guilty about his choice to become a super soldier? Did he know the consequences of what having a child would mean?
I did love the agency set from Dominique Fishback’s character. She, too, was a tragic hero, torn between being a drug dealer but trying to get the money to pay for her mother’s hospital bills. I loved her spoken word segments. Great wordsmith and added character depth.
Then, there was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character who set himself up as the savior of New Orleans by taking the superhuman pills. He had some very comical moments that lightened the mood. Overall, fairly good movie. I’d say a 3.5 out of 5.
I do love that the superhuman abilities have dire consequences and effects. As I’m working out the series plot for my 6-books in my superhero series, I struggle with the consequences of addictive modifications and the need to use these to save the world.
Let me know what you think about Project Power.
