PROJECT POWER : Sunday 16th August 2020.

'PROJECT POWER' is an American Superhero Sci-Fi film distributed by Netflix that was released on the streaming service on 14th August. Directed by the pairing of Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost who have shared Directorial credits on such films as 'Paranormal Activity 3', 'Paranormal Activity 4', 'Nerve' and 'Viral' the film was made for a budgeted US$85M, and has so far generated mixed or average Reviews.




In a not too distant future New Orleans, a mystery distributor offers a sample of free 'Power' to a group of gathered drug dealers late at night, on the basis that they try it for themselves which will very quickly convince them of the marketability and street value that this new drug will have. The 'Power' pill, it turns out, grants superpowers, albeit unpredictable ones, for just five minutes by simply ingesting a capsule that alters the physical make up of the host subject - but reactions are mixed and even some of the subjects literally explode from within upon taking the drug.

Newt (Colson Baker) was one of the drug dealers present that night, and six weeks later, his teenage cousin Robin Reilly (Dominique Fishback) who has become a Power dealer, is nearly robbed by a gang of youths wanting to procure a supply of the drug. She is rescued by NOPD Officer Frank Shaver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who happens to be one of her regular customers and who becomes bullet proof via super hardened skin when he ingests Power. Meanwhile, Art (Jamie Foxx) is on the search for the distributor Biggie (Rodrigo Santoro), which leads him to the home of Newt. Newt has the ability to set fire to himself and rain down hellfire on anyone or anything in his way. However, after a struggle through his apartment block, he is eventually overcome by overdosing on the drug and coming to a very wet end under a shower and over a bathtub at the hands of Art.

In the meantime, Frank foils a bank robbery by a Power-enhanced thief who has the chameleon like ability to blend in to his surroundings rendering him almost invisible. Frank is shot at very close range in the head by the thief while trying to make a getaway, but having taken Power immediately before the pursuit he is rendered bullet proof, but is subsequently suspended for using Power himself by his Captain. Captain Crane (Courtney B. Vance) reveals that government personnel are pressuring him to terminate any investigation into Power, and gives Frank a picture of the man they suspect to be the source of the drug, Art.

Art uses Newt’s phone to locate and kidnap Robin, eventually forcing her to take him to the drug cartel's safehouse. Involved in a shoot out with a number of cartel henchmen, Art is shot in the shoulder. Before exiting the scene, he discovers that Power users throughout New Orleans are being closely monitored as test subjects for the drug. Art bonds with Robin as she treats his wounds and stitches him up (a skill she learned while working in a vet clinic with her mother), and tells her that after leaving the military, he was recruited by Teleios, a private defence contractor who experimented on him to create superpowers. His daughter Tracy, who was born after the experiments were conducted, showed powers without needing the drug, and was abducted by Wallace (Tait Fletcher), a Teleios operative, for the purposes of further research and experiments.

Art and Robin track down Biggie holding a private demonstration of Project Power for a potential buyer in the basement of some clandestine bar. Biggie claims that the pill’s powers are derived from the abilities of animals, such as the chameleon or wolverine frog. As the demonstration begins, a woman locked in a glass encased chamber ingests a pill and immediately starts to freeze, breathing icy cold air and turning everything she touches to frost. A gun fight breaks out with Art gaining the upper hand. He then interrogates Biggie at gunpoint and learns of a ship, the Genesis on which his daughter is located, but Frank wades in, having tracked other users to the demonstration. As Frank is about to handcuff Art and lead him out of the club, Biggie takes a dose of Power rapidly turning him into a malformed creature of immense size and strength. This results in Art, Robin, and Frank fleeing the scene as Art kills Biggie in an gas explosion. The girl in the glass case ultimately freezes to the spot and shatters. 

Frank duly arrests Art and on the way to the Police station in a patrol car informs his Captain, but Art explains that the Power epidemic now gripping New Orleans is really mass testing in an attempt to stabilise the drug, and that his daughter Tracy is the source of the drug’s powers. In turn Art is able to convince Frank that his Captain is in all reality taking orders from Teleios.

At a roadblock which Art was able to accurately predict, he has himself purposely captured by Teleios henchmen and taken aboard the Genesis. Frank and Robin meanwhile infiltrate the ship, and Art is able to persuade a guard to free him. Frank and Art kill Wallace, while Robin locates Tracy and reunites her with her father.

As the four search for a way off the ship, Robin is captured by Dr. Gardner (Amy Landecker), the head of Project Power, who demands Tracy in exchange for Robin’s life. Art confronts Gardner, revealing that Power gives him the ability to launch directed, super-heated air that incinerates upon touch which upon swallowing a pill he uses to kill Gardner and her men and rescue Robin. Using his power, however, costs Art his life, but Tracy brings him back to life with her own powers, and they all escape the ship in a lifeboat, leaving the stricken Genesis to limp idly forward, smouldering. The next day Frank intends to expose Project Power to the press, while Art decides to move on wanting to put the whole sorry and sordid affair behind them, telling Frank that New Orleans is only the tip of the iceberg! He gives Robin his truck and a bag full of money to cover her mother's medical needs, as she needs a lifesaving operation and they don't have medical insurance. Art and Tracy drive off, free at last.

I have to say that I got up off my sofa after almost two hours feeling 'meh!'. 'Project Power' is a mash up of familiar superhero tropes; of the criminal underworld wanting to rule over all mankind with some ill conceived weapon, or super drug, or some megalomaniacal superwealthy criminal mastermind or a combination of all three; while leaving it to the few do gooders left on this mortal coil to fight fire with fire and win the day. The film is all style over substance with the action set pieces and requisite Power effects well executed, but the plot is third rate, predictable and when the climatic ending comes it can't come soon enough. Dominique Fishback gives a grounded performance of a star on the rise, and Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt add weight to a film that perhaps should take a leaf out of its own book and swallow a pill and invigorate itself for five minutes and let the movie it really wants to be, out!

'Project Power' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BEN-HUR : Wednesday 31st August 2016.

'BEN-HUR' is the fifth feature length big screen adaptation of the 1880 source novel 'Ben-Hur : A Tale of the Christ' by Lew Wallace. First made in 1907 in the form of a fifteen minute film, it was remade in 1925 in an epic silent film, the classic William Wyler Directed epic of 1959 with Charlton Heston, and an animated feature in 2003 starring the voice of Charlton Heston and made by his production company. The 1959 production of 'Ben-Hur' against which this 2016 version will inevitably be judged was budgeted at US$7M and blew out to US$15M and was the most expensive film ever made for its time, and used 1.1 million feet of film for principal photography, that was edited down to 19,000 feet for the final cut. The theatrical release ran for 212 minutes, and used a cast of thousands, literally, including 200 camels, 2,500 horses, 10,000 extras with 365 Actors having speaking parts. Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando and Leslie Neilsen were all considered for the role of Judah Ben-Hur which went to Charlton Heston. The film opened to huge critical acclaim and delivered US$74M in Box Office receipts delivering MGM Studios over US$20M in profits and saving it from bankruptcy. The film was nominated in 12 categories at the 1960 Academy Awards and won an unprecedented eleven including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Effects. It also won four Golden Globes and one BAFTA - all up 27 wins and 13 nominations. It's Oscar wins have not yet been surpassed, matched only by 'Titanic' in 1998, and 'Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King' in 2004. Will Timur Bekmambetov's 2016 retelling of this classic tale live up to those heady expectations - both critically and commercially - you'll have to decide for yourself!

And so for a whole new audience possibly unfamiliar with the source material or the earlier films, comes this US$100M production Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Most of you will know the age old story set in AD33 with Jack Huston playing Judah Ben-Hur - a Jewish Prince who has grown up with his adoptive brother, Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell), a Roman orphan in privileged surroundings in Jerusalem. The two have grown up to adulthood very close, as if blood brothers, with their mother Naomi (Ayelet Zurer), father Simonides (Haluk Bilgier) and sister Tirzah (Sofia Black D'Elia) whom Messala has the hots for. There is also a servant in the household, Esther (Nazanin Boniadi) whom Judah has the hots for too, but because of their differing 'station' in life he has to keep his distance.

The film opens eight years earlier with the two brothers horse racing (they like to challenge each other) and although Judah crossed the finish line first he is thrown from his horse and is knocked unconscious hitting his head on a rock. Messala carries his injured brother home on his back some distance, and is nursed back to strength by his mother over night. After a couple of days the two men are laughing about their exploits. However, underlying their brotherly love for each other Messala feels alienated in his adopted family given their differing backgrounds - them Jewish and he a Roman by birth. Under cover of darkness Messala bids farewell to his brother Judah and makes off for Rome to join the Roman Army to conquer new lands in the name of the Roman Empire. Meanwhile Judah marries Esther.

Fast forward three years and Messala returns home to Jerusalem the all conquering hero and a decorated Roman officer under Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbaek) himself. After reconnecting with his family, and celebrating over dinner, Messala asks Judah to consider acting as his informant against the 'zealots' - those that stand up against the tyranny of the Romans, who seem to be making an increasing nuisance of themselves much to the disgust and distrust of the Romans whose aim is to stamp them, their families and associates out at all costs. Given his status in Jerusalem Messala also asks Judah to ensure that a pending visit of Pontius Pilate to Jerusalem go without any incident and guarantee the Governor of Judea safe passage. Judah agrees to do what he can, but cannot make any guarantees.

Needless to say Pilates passage through the streets of Jerusalem does not pass quietly and an assassination attempt in made on the Governor by a zealot from the rooftop of Judah's house who was secretly being nursed back to health following an attack by the Romans. The zealot escapes, but the Romans descend on Judah's house and coerce a confession out of him to safeguard his family. Judah's father is killed in the process and the women are taken away for cruxifixction. Judah is sentenced to be slaved aboard a galley, and Messala turns his back on his once close brother. Whilst being marched towards his fate aboard the galley he stumbles and falls walking through the crowds of onlookers. Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro) comes to his aid, and offers him water with Roman soldiers looking on.

With Judah thrown in the galley to spend the next five years as a rower under the command of Quintus Arius (James Cosmo), he becomes a battle weary yet a strong and determined slave to find his freedom and his family. During a sea battle with a Greek fleet Judah's galley is destroyed with all souls aboard perishing, except his! Going down with his galley mates he frees himself from his shackles and clings to a mast, floating at sea for days under the fierce heat. Eventually he washes ashore and is found by the wealthy Sheik Ilderim (Morgan Freeman) who recognises Judah to be a slave and as such plans to hand him back to the Romans. Judah however, persuades him otherwise by agreeing to tend to a sick horse, given that he knows a thing or two about horses, and the Sheik agrees.

Having proved his worth with the horse and formed a bond with the Sheik's other horses, Ilderim agrees to train Judah to become a chariot racer. In Jerusalem the construction of the new Circus is nearing completion, and a grand chariot race is to be staged for Pilate featuring his champion charioteer, Messala. Ilderim seeks to engineer Judah's entry into the upcoming race by laying a huge bet on his man that Pilate can hardly refuse together with Judah's freedom, and so Judah's place in the race is secured together with Rome's finest and those others from more far away lands. In the meantime, Judah returns to Jerusalem and encounters Esther who has become a follower of Jesus, but her new ideals are in direct conflict to his in seeking revenge on his brother.

As the race approaches, Judah reconnects with Messala at the old family home supposedly in secret, but Messala rocks up with half the Roman Army in tow. Judah makes a hasty retreat to evade capture, but to retaliate for his insolence twenty Jews are rounded up and summarily executed in the street. By now Esther is completely at odds with Judah, sharing completely differing views on his desire to compete in the chariot race and eek out his revenge on Messala. Meanwhile it has come to light through a former Roman Army official that Judah's mother and sister are in fact still alive and were saved from cruxifixction. Judah travels to where they are imprisoned only to discover that they are now both lepers.

The action moves to the epic scene in the Circus where eight charioteers face off against each other - 'First to Finish, Last to Die' is Ilderim's advice to Judah, and to start off slow and let all others perish before moving in for the kill. And so it goes, in what is a reasonably executed race sequence but the end result is inevitable where good overcomes evil, and as all other fall by the wayside it leaves just Messala and Judah to battle it our for line honours. The race goes to Judah, as Messala crashes and burns and is flung from the wreckage of his chariot. The crowd goes wild that the Jew has prevailed and the Roman Champion is dethroned. In the aftermath, Ilderim walks away with his winnings and the freedom of Judah, and the zealots are empowered that one of their own has won the day and stood up and been counted.

Afterwards when the dust has settled, Judah seeks out his brother who has survived, but has had a leg amputated at the knee as a result of his injuries sustained in the race. The two reconcile their differences. Meanwhile Esther is present when Jesus is taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then paraded through the streets bearing the cross and wearing the crown of thorns. Jesus stumbles and falls under the weight of the cross, and Judah is on hand to help him, just as Jesus did in reverse years earlier, but is prevented from doing so by a Roman soldier. Judah attends the cruxifixction and makes eye contact with Jesus looking down from cross, muttering his last words 'forgive them, for they know not what they do'. At that the clouds close in, the skies darken and the heavens open with a downpour of torrential rain. . . and all around miracles occur - including Jadah's mother and sister being cured of leprosy. Ilderim pays their ransom so that they may be set free reuniting them again with Judah and Messala. And they all rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after!

In the final analysis I thought this retelling of 'Ben-Hur' was better than critics give it credit for, but it is not up there with William Wyler's 1959 epic and nor is likely to garner any Academy Award wins or nominations for that matter I would think. Nonetheless, it is a solid enough retelling of the film that does not veer too far from the story as told in 1959 - it just condenses it into under two-thirds of the running time. The chariot race scene is well executed without being too violent or over bloody, the following of Jesus is not melodramatic or overplayed and contributes to Judah's story arc, and the building of the journey that both Judah and Messala take in their lives only to come full circle is reasonably well conceived, although different from Wyler's film in that Messala (Stephen Boyd) dies from his injuries after the chariot race. It's worth a look for sure and on the big screen too. The film has so far taken US$53M.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-