A new original production of the most famous streaming platform is available for viewing, last night I saw it to give you my opinion.
What's the plot of the film?
A new drug called Power has started to be distributed in New Orleans. It gives each individual unique superpowers for only five minutes. The new drug makes crime spill over. Robin is one of the teenage girls who sells the drug, dreams of being a rap star and only sells the drug so she can buy medicine for her sick mother, supplies Power to Frank, a cop who wants to be a hero and clean up his city of crime, even if he has to use the drug to do so. As fate would have it, they meet Art, an ex-soldier looking for his daughter, who was kidnapped by the people behind the whole Power project.
The idea and the cast is good, but I kept my expectations low, because I know how most Netflix productions are, they end up disappointing me a little bit.
The premise of a drug that grants special powers for five minutes was the most interesting aspect of the whole story. I wanted to see how people adapted to those powers by taking the drug, how they would react to the superpower. But we don't see that on the screen. After the initial scene where the drug is introduced to the streets of New Orleans, there is a temporary leap of several weeks.
But there's something worse, the villains.
Another Netflix movie where the villains are a pain in the ass. A movie is only as good as the construction of the villains. When they include villains without charisma, the typical bad guys who want to dominate the world, arching their eyebrows and altering their voice to highlight that they are bad. I think this is the worst part of the film, when the antagonists are not interesting, when you don't really feel that the protagonists are in danger, there is no more emotion.
One point in the film's favour is that it has no qualms about showing scenes of violence, but they make sure they comply with the new rules of inclusion that govern the industry. The main villain is a woman. The head of the Latin drug cartels is also a woman. Netflix always wants to be politically correct, wants to be right with God and the devil.
There is only one action scene that I liked, although it has the flaw of the other scenes, with the camera too much movement, which does not allow the action to be appreciated well. The interesting thing about the scene I'm talking about, is that it is seen from the point of view of a short character who is locked in a glass dome, where he is suffering the effects of drugs.
Filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are the directors of the film. Their most important work has been Catfish, then they have directed two films of the saga Paranormal Activity, which I have never seen and the film Nerve, of the year 2016, with Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. I remember that that film also had an interesting story. After that critical success that was Catfish, all their subsequent films have been regulars. I hope that the experience they are accumulating will help them make a future project with real power.
The cast is led by Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Both are Hollywood stars who don't deserve to be introduced. Or I like Jamie Foxx, he's a great actor and he deserved his Oscar for the movie Ray. But he's an actor I dislike for personal reasons. He is one of the actors who traveled to my country to have his picture taken with the dictatorial regime. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, if I like him, is an actor that I find pleasant and never disappointing in his performances. They are the important faces and the hook to attract the audience. The dialogues are the usual ones in these entertainment films. The Foxx plays former soldier Art and Gordon-Levitt plays policeman Frank.
The trio is completed by the actress Dominique Fishback, who plays Robin. I was familiar with the work of this actress, especially her role as a prostitute in David Simon's series The Deuce, where she did an excellent job. I'm glad she's part of the poster and credits for this film. She really deserves to be given an important job. Now, I laughed at some of her scenes, specifically seeing her in high school, the actress is 29. Why not put the character in college? Seeing her as a teenager takes away her credibility, that was my perception, because I still have fresh memories of her character in The Deuce.
I think the idea was wasted, the story of the drug that gives superpowers to each person, lasting five minutes, could have been better used. Seeing the reactions of the people who use it, the reactions of the other people when they see the people with superpowers. Supposedly the drug is being used by many people, but the streets do not convey a sense of danger, nor do the police seem overwhelmed. The ideal was to show a city in disorder, in general chaos. I think the minds behind the film, they missed out on taking one of those power pills.
It's recommended that you spend some time, because of the good cast and some entertaining scenes.
My Ranking: 2.8/5
Trailer
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