Superhero movies are aplenty these days. Likewise new Netflix film Project Power features characters with superpowers. But, the film doesn’t fall squarely into that genre.
For one, the powers come from a pill that unlocks abilities unique to each user such as bulletproof skin, invisibility and superstrength, for all of five minutes.
Now, as with most pills, there is a side effect – there’s no guarantee which power you will gain. Worse, it could be lethal.
For another, Project Power highlights real world reality where there are systems in place to keep power in certain hands only.
The film’s three main protagonists (played by Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback) find themselves fighting against this system.
During StarLifestyle’s video interview with the cast of Project Power, Foxx reasoned why audiences are captivated by the idea of superheroes.
“I think it’s sort of an escape; putting a cape on, it’s nice. Sometimes you want to rock a cape especially when it gets a little chilly and you can wrap it around, ” said the Best Actor Oscar winner, half in jest.
“But the other side of it is what this movie is about. (The power) comes from a pill. A pill that you can take, and you don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Meanwhile, co-star Gordon-Levitt – who has previously appeared in superhero movie The Dark Knight Rises – recalled his reason for joining Project Power.
“I honestly just thought it would be really fun, ” said the 39-year-old before adding, “I just took a couple years off acting because I’m a dad now, and I wanted to spend some time with my babies.
“My first job back was this movie called 7500 which also just came out, and it’s very intense, very heavy, very serious movie.
“After doing that, I just wanted to do something fun. So, when I read the script, and I saw it has Jamie Foxx and we’re going to New Orleans (to shoot), I thought ‘This is definitely going to be fun.’ So, I signed up. And, it was fun.”
In the course of his search, he meets Robin (Fishback), a youngster selling the drug on the streets of New Orleans to support her sick mother, and Frank (Gordon-Levitt) a policeman who uses the pill to nab drug-taking bad guys.
Together, the trio has to race against time to stop the big bad company producing the drug as it’s planning something even more sinister than just distributing the pill.
While there aren’t many scenes featuring all the three main characters together, Fishback’s Robin does interact with both leading men.
Not surprisingly, Fishback’s character is also the glue that holds the film together – a fact that doesn’t escape Foxx.
“To me, Project Power is a coming out party for her (Fishback), ” stated Foxx, enthusiastically.
“The movie itself is amazing. But to have someone who can really like bring the humanity to the film and she brings it in a way that is vulnerable, that is powerful. So, #Fishback, #DominiqueFishback, ” Foxx cheered.
As the film progresses, audiences discover Robin is no ordinary young woman.
It may look like Robin has been dealt a bad hand in life, however she proves that she doesn’t need a pill to come out tops.
That is one of the things that Fishback is most excited for audiences to see in the film.
The actress who played Darlene in the 2017 HBO series The Deuce shared: “The film asks the big question, what would you do if there was a pill and you can have a super-power for five minutes?
“But, at the end of the day, we don’t have that pill. So, I would hold on to the fact that Robin’s power is within.
“And I want people to be excited about the fact that we do have power. You have power inside of you, and discovering it can be one of the most beautiful experiences.”
She added: “My definition of a superhero is someone who extends whatever powers they might have to help other people. It can just be your words, whatever gifts that you have inside.
“If you can use that, to lift people up, I think that that’s what makes a superhero.”
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