Push DVD with Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning (PG-13) +Movie Reviews +Used DVD available for Swap

A mild push

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 02/07/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"PUSH tantalizes you with its premise and its central characters, hooks you in with that promising movie trailer, and then jerks you around like a hot but very mean girlfriend. Given, there's enough of what's cool here to nerd out on, but, ultimately, this paranormal thriller is lacking that sumthin' sumthin'.

In the world of PUSH there are people who possess awesome psychic abilities. And, dating back to World War II and Nazi Germany, clandestine efforts have been made to control and experiment on these extraordinary paranormals. Decades later, and things haven't changed, only now it's a shadowy American government agency, simply called the Division, conducting these tests. There's this drug which is supposed to boost psychic abilities to ridiculous levels. The caveat is that, so far, only one patient has survived the injecting of this drug. And she just scampered the hell out.

The central character is Nick Gant (Evans), trying to keep a low profile in Hong Kong, if by low profile it's meant that Nick gambles with street thugs and uses his feeble telekinesis to influence the outcome of the dice rolls. Nick has been on the run ever since his dad got whacked by Division agents ten years ago. But now sniffers have ferreted out his location. About to amscray the eff out, Nick gets a knock on his door and this is where Dakota Fanning enters the picture and where the main storyline gets going.

13-year-old Cassie Holmes (Fanning) is a clairvoyant, although her talent is wobbly and, being a shaky artist at best, it's sometimes hard to make out what prophetic visions she's sketching on her drawing pad. But she manages to convince Nick to help her locate a mysterious woman and secure her all-important suitcase - of which course of action, Cassie foretells, will save Nick and Cassie's lives and also take down the Division. So off they go, and eventually hook up with Kira (Camilla Belle), the young woman being sought by everyone and also someone who shares a past with Nick. And, yes, Kira is the very one who'd just broken out of the Division facility.

In watching this movie, a grasp of its parlance is a must. PUSH's world is peopled with disparate talents categorized as watchers, pushers, movers, shifters, bleeders, wipers, sniffers, etc. I'll leave it to the movie to go into what the rest of these are, but I will say that Nick is a mover and Cassie is a watcher. Kira is a pusher, which means that she can sneak (or "push") thoughts and even false histories into your mind. The Big Bad is Division's lead agent Henry Carver (a low key, ineffective Djimon Hounsou), a formidable puppet master. Yep, he's a pusher.

In its comic book sensibilities, PUSH has a whiff of X-Men about it, and HEROES, and even David Cronenberg's Scanners (except without that gratuitous visceral touch). Throw in the sometimes dynamic psychic combats, the two appealing leads, and the vibrancy of the Hong Kong backdrop, and you get what's good in the flick. There are several neat moments to savor, whether its Nick and Cassie's skirmish at the fish market with a Chinese crime lord and his psychic family, or the image of Nick and his guns ominously floating above him, Kira's full control of her people marionettes, or, in one of the film's best scenes, a drunk Dakota Fanning (supposedly, imbibing liquor focuses her clairvoyant powers). While Chris Evans (Cellular (New Line Platinum Series), Fantastic Four (Widescreen Edition)) is likeable and does okay as the film's main lead, it won't stun anyone that Fanning steals the scenes and acts circles around everyone on the set (the skimpy characterisations don't help, either). But I dig that brother/younger sister vibe going on between Evans and Fanning. Fanning, by the way, looks to be entering premature babehood. (Mreeow! - What? No? Too young? Okay, fine.)

What PUSH has in flair and premise, it lacks in narrative clarity. The intriguing visual treats don't quite compensate for the muddled plot points. The most egregious thing which struck me (and which I think loses the film heaps of credibility) is why would the government even risk experimenting on their psychic subjects just to boost their powers, when these subjects persist in dying out when given the injection? Are there so many psychics floating around that the Division can afford to be so blase? Just seems so counterproductive. I also struggle with Nick, basically a nondescript dude (excepting the telekinesis) of seemingly average smarts, suddenly transforming into this master strategist. On top of that, his endgame plan (contingent on "What if nothing we did made any sense?") might be crafty but its onscreen execution is presented poorly. Also a let down was in the anticlimactic manner in which Cassie's premonition of her own death plays out.

The film drags in spots; I seriously felt all of its near two hours' running time. See, in an attempt to add texture, it indulges in too much back story and reels under the weight of its clunky mythology. And also too much dull exposition. A prime example of weak villain monologuing is Nick's conversation with Carver (with Nick's gun telekinetically pressed against Carver's skull). I saw how that was gonna go down as soon as Carver opened his yap.

I hope I can explain this right. I'm not sure what, but it seems to me that there's some necessary groundwork here that wasn't laid out. Also, with so many of the characters endowed with some abnormal aptitude or other, there's a diminishing of that sense of wonder. I dunno, maybe the flick could've used the perspective of a secondary character, some regular Joe, who gets all awed and freaked out by all the crazy going down. As it is, big whoopee, everyone's got a power. And, of course, there's that deux ex machina flavor factored in, too. The thing about introducing clairvoyance is that you then can get away with so many coincidences. Gotcher bones and muscles all scrunched up? Just wait for the stitch (healer) to show up; she'll be sent by someone who saw this coming years and years ago. It feels too convenient. At least, Cassie's knack, unlike her mini-skirt, isn't too revealing.

Part of the muddle concerns the ending, of which there isn't any, really. There's a sense of unfinished business, as the end credits roll up. PUSH has got the 'nads to already set up for the sequel, the plot of which will, in all likelihood, revolve around the springing of Cassie's mother (who is the world's most powerful watcher) from Division captivity. Sucker that I am, I like the core characters enough and the premise enough that I'll probably line up for it. It may not sound like it, but I do dig this genre. The frustrating thing being, that PUSH could've been better. And I won't even mention JUMPER."

Push

Michael Zuffa | Racine, WI United States | 02/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nick (Evans) is a "mover" - someone who can move things with his mind. He meets up with Cassie (Fanning), a "watcher" - someone who can predict the future. She is trying to rescue her mother from the government, but as they try to piece things together, Kira (Belle) enters their lives. Kira is a "pusher" - someone who can influence others thoughts. She also had a relationship with Nick, and is the only person to survive a power "enhancement" drug that was administered to her by the sinister Company. Now, the Company is after her, and Nick and Kira must help her if they want to survive.

"Push" is a gritty looking superhero movie that is not based on any existing comic book (for a change). It is fast paced and rich in mythology. Evans, who has some experience in these types of movies, is credible as Nick. Fanning, who is great in any movie she appears in, can add action star to her resume. The story is full of backstory, but that does not slow down the almost nonstop action. The gritty look adds to the feel of the film, and works well. "Push" is a surprisingly good film, and I recommend checking it out.
"

Really Good movie!

Colleen M. Croteau | 06/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why everyone keeps saying that this movie was just ok. I thought it was really good and entertaining. It isn't your normal superhero movie. I think that is a good thing. There needs to be different ideas out there. Not every superhero has to save the world at the end of the day. Give this movie a try. I'm glad i did."

Sometimes you have to step up to where it's at

David C. Oshel | Cedar Rapids, IA USA | 08/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Push has its detracters, but not here. I'm waiting for the sequel myself -- getting Cassie's Mom out of Division. (I'm waiting for the prequel, even -- Nick and Kira running bush league cons at Coney Island!) Dakota Fanning steals every scene she's in, and with the possible exception of Maggie Siff, may be the only full-time working actor on the DVD. It's amazing to see a film with this subject matter that isn't bogged down in left-over Twilight Zone cant about the self-punishing nature of psi. These kids (including the old woman on top the building and the ink-stained scholar on the yellow boat) revel in their abilities, and wish they were much, much better at them. They need to be. Division, which shares the same dream but a far different end, is better than they are. Far from not suffering these witches to live, we can celebrate their lives entirely steeped in the ambience and philosophies of the Orient. Hong Kong has never looked grittier or prettier, even counting that stupendous walking soliloquy in the rain from Ghost in the Shell. I don't think I've watched an SF movie more, with the exception of Them! and Blade Runner, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Close Encounters, and Alien(s). Push delivers. I mean, who can think of Bleeders, for crying out loud? Watchers, with all their foibles, feel absolutely right because their errors are based on the right quantum stuff. Pushers are, I'll admit, a bit of Old Hat -- e.g., Isaac Asimov's Napoleanic tyrant, The Mule, from Second Foundation, could realign an assassin's loyalties with a glance and so takes honors as the archetypal Pusher. Sniffers are... predictable, true, but... THIS banal? Push has humor. I like lots."

Extra-Sensory Perplexion

Chris Pandolfi | Los Angeles, CA | 07/03/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"What's your favorite superpower? My personal favorite is the ability to fly, although x-ray vision and incredible strength are also pretty cool. So are mental powers, namely being able to read people's minds and see into the future. "Push" is a movie that views mental abilities as a curse instead of a blessing, essentially turning the idea of possessing a superpower upside down. While this doesn't make for a particularly good film, it does allow for the viewer to stay somewhat interested all throughout. I say "somewhat" because the story is often times confusing and ultimately unsatisfying; the filmmakers were obviously more interested in developing the neat visuals and convoluted twists more than the characters or the overarching plot. I won't go so far as to say this is a bad film, but it definitely isn't everything it could have been.

The film opens with a voiceover narration provided by teenager Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning). She explains that governments have been keeping watch on people with extra-sensory abilities since 1945. There are several ability categories. Movers can manipulate inanimate objects mentally. Pushers can project (or push) memories, thoughts, or emotions into other people's minds. Watchers can see visions of the future. Wipers can temporarily or permanently erase memories. There are also Bleeders, Sniffers, Shifters, Shadows, and Stitchers, although I won't get into them all. Anyway, a prologue sequence shows a man and his young son, both Movers, trying to escape a hotel from an evil government faction known as Division. They, of course, want to capture people with special abilities and perform experiments on them.

The story proper begins ten years later in Hong Kong, where we meet Nick Gant (Chris Evans), a Mover in hiding, having narrowly escaped being captured by Division as a boy. From out of the blue comes Cassie, who, for reasons I simply couldn't believe, managed to fly to Hong Kong and find Nick completely on her own. She's a Watcher, and she claims that she and Nick will find a special suitcase containing $6 million. Nick has no idea what she's talking about and refuses to help her. Then they go through a frenetic chase sequence, at which point Nick remembers something his long-since-dead father told him about a vision he was given by a Watcher. I won't reveal it, but needless to say, Nick now knows he has no choice--he must help Cassie. Unfortunately, she has some bad news: She has had a vision that both she and Nick will die.

What exactly is this building towards? Let's consider the case of a Pusher named Kira (Camilla Bell); while in Division's clutches, she's the subject of an experiment no one else has survived, one involving an injectable serum supposedly meant to augment her powers. Through a series of very unlikely circumstance, she manages to escape, taking with her a suitcase containing a syringe filled with the serum. Now Division has sent a merciless agent named Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) to retrieve her and the suitcase. He know that Nick and Cassie are somehow involved, which is why he's after them too. So again, what exactly is this building up to? I leave it to you to find out, although I'm hard pressed to say you'll be happy once the film is over.

While "Push" achieves much on level of set design and special effects, it simply doesn't have the story power necessary to stay afloat. As far as the story goes, all it really has to fall back on are a series of clever surprises, each more twisted than the last. This can be overbearing at a certain point, especially in conjunction with a story that was complex to begin with. Moments of comedy relief, which are blessedly few, don't help much. There are scenes, for example, featuring a Shadow named "Pinky" Stein (Nate Mooney), your typical smart aleck. One of the least appealing scenes in this film is of Cassie getting drunk. Apparently, she believes that liquoring herself up will boost her powers. If this was intended to be a humorous moment, something when horribly wrong; in the context of a science fiction thriller, a drunken teenage girl just isn't funny.

This movie could have been so much better if only it hadn't been so hard to follow; maybe I'm just dull, but I see no reason why this couldn't have been a simple story about simple characters doing amazing things. The idea behind "Push" is that it's "a new evolution of hero," and I'm all for that; not every hero has to be a goody two shoes who spends all his time thwarting criminal masterminds in major cities. But this movie tries for more than it can deliver, not only in terms of the whole mental-superpowers gimmick, but also in terms of its story, which is far too ambitious for its own good. While not the worst film to come along this year, it certainly will not be regarded as one of the greatest. You'll probably have a more fulfilling time daydreaming about flying, as I did."

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