Prime Video’s Feminist Drama ‘The Power’ Sizzles but Never Quite Sparks: TV Review
Joshua Alston In an episode of “The Power,” Prime Video’s series adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s acclaimed speculative novel, Roxy (Ria Zmitrowicz) tries to walk into a nightclub without flashing the ID that would reveal she’s underage. The swole sentinel manning the door tries to turn her away until Roxy creates a tiny lightning bolt between her thumb and index finger. The bouncer immediately backs down, now aware of the mortal threat Roxy poses, but she isn’t finished toying with him. “I’m not going in ‘til he smiles at me,” she says, goading him until he approximates joy. “There…you look nice when you smile.” The cleverly gender-flipped scene represents “The Power” at its best, and there are thrilling moments throughout the show that justify the reportedly intense bidding war for the rights to Alderman’s novel. The book, in which teenage girls across the globe discover their ability to wield electricity, is cinematic in scope and concept. But it’s also overstuffed, teeming with more characters and ideas than can be successfully scaled for television. And so here is “The Power,” a decently executed and mostly faithful screen adaptation that undermines itself by demonstrating why a novel is the perfect format for this story.