'PROJECT POWER' TAKES A CITY BY STORM
Romans 12:2 - "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (NLT)
X-men, Deadpool, Heroes, and the Frozen franchise are taken to a sinister level with Project Power. What if instead of a team of noble superheroes, those same powers are used to create unspeakable destruction? Chaos reign in New Orleans as the body count rises.
The people of New Orleans take a single pill to access their inner powers. However, it's not so cut and dry. The problem is that the drug's effects last five minutes, after which they return to their standard selves. That is assuming they survive their power at all. People can freeze to death or explode. Even worse, their reckless actions can get them killed. Powers makes them extraordinary, but no one is immortal. They have no control over their power.
"You get what you get."
There are only three people to stop it. This unlikely team is disjointed and sloppy due to their conflicting motivations. Still, they somehow find a way to make it work. They give each other hope of self-improvement without a magic pill. Even though they are tough, unsubtle, and hostile, they inspire the best in each other.
"How are you going to leave your mark?"
"Project Power" teaches a phenomenal lesson about divine purpose. People buy the pill, because they are searching for an easy ride through life. Just rob a bank. Charge the enemy with burning fire. Let corrupt officials buy you off. No work or effort is involved. Who needs school or a real job with those kinds of abilities? It's all too good to be true.
"Power corrupts... and absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton)
Because power corrupts. It darkens the heart, corrupts the spirit, and interferes with one's divine purpose. There are three central characters in the film. Each one of them has incredible potential to make a positive contribution to society, but "Power" interferes with each one. It becomes their duty to erase the drug from New Orleans, so they can get their lives back on track.
THE MAJOR
His original purpose is to be a father. His daughter Tracy is a girl with an extraordinary gift. She needs his love and guidance, so she can grow to be an extraordinary woman.
Instead, shameless drug dealers interrupt that purpose by kidnapping Tracy for their greedy purpose. Tracy is reduced to a lab rat, and her father becomes a soldier. His violent work opposes her healing ability. He can only retire his rampage and resume his role as a father if he rescues Tracy from her torturous cell.
ROBIN
She is young, ambitious, and caring. With a natural talent for music and rhymes, she ought to be in school improving her writing and public speaking skills. Her education is the only chance she has to be the best lyricist possible.
Instead, she drops out of school to make easy money through drug dealing. Her work enables Project Power's evil scheme to treat New Orleans as a big experiment. She peddles a drug with a high mortality rate.
She claims the reason for her illegal dealings is to help her ailing mother pay for her medical expenses, but the Major doesn't buy it. Neither should we. He challenges her to reconsider her life choices. In his own harsh way, he plays his purpose as a father to inspire the best in her. She must decide what is most important: easy money or artistic expression.
DETECTIVE FRANK
Frank is an incredible cop. He is passionate about providing justice to the citizens of New Orleans. A crucial skill for a detective is outside the box thinking and noble character. Frank possesses these qualities in spades. Not only is he incorruptible, but his unique thinking helps him find the source of Power more discretely than the Major's brutal approach.
His main priority is to save lives, and Project Power takes lives in two separate ways. Either the pill itself kills the customer, or the customer on the pill kills innocent bystanders. Frank's experience teaches him how dangerous the pill is, and he hates it for taking over his city. The only way he can proceed with his career as a detective is to wipe Project Power off the map.
Galatians 6:9 - "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." (NLT)
In the end, there is no magic pill that will turn us into extraordinary beings. We must achieve our purpose on this Earth without supernatural aid. We can only use the time and gifts that God gives us.
"10,000 hours is the magic number of greatness." (Malcomb Gladwell)
Though the 10,000-hour rule is a debunked myth, the idea is valid. Practice makes perfect. Work hard. Master your skills. Be the best you can be.
