Project Power Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

3. The Heavy-Handed Social Commentary

Accompanying the film's dishy New Orleans setting is a pronounced air of thickly-laid social commentary, as is sure to divide audiences somewhat.

Much of the film's drama takes aim at police brutality and systemic racism within society, which while absolutely important issues, nevertheless feel clumsily handled on occasion by Mattson Tomlin's script.

Some of the film's dialogue prosaically spits political discourse at the viewer in howlingly heavy-handed fashion, as may turn off those hoping for a more down-the-line, apolitical superhero film.

On the other side of the political spectrum, given that Joseph Gordon-Levitt effectively plays the movie's "one good cop", there are likely to be those who feel the film is a few steps away from vocalising "not all cops," whether that's actually the case at all.

Those who skew to the political left will certainly find less to complain about, though the sheer manner in which these messages are injected into the film doesn't quite feel subtle or nuanced enough to fully work either way, laudable though the effort is.