AMB Reviews

Push: 6/10 Stars

Release Date: February 6, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking. One f-word. There is constant action violence, including fist fights, flying bodies, and shootings. Several bloody bodies are seen. A teen gets drunk in a brief scene, while several characters smoke. Sex may or may not be implied (the door closes as a couple kiss).

Review:

The trailer for this film makes it out to be about twice as good as it really is. That being said, I still found it hard not to have some fun while watching it...

In Short:

In this film, people around the world are randomly given special powers at birth. Some are called "Movers," other "Watchers," and so on. The Division is a shadowy government agency wanting to track down all humans with special abilities and force them to work for them. Nick Gant, the movie's main character, is a Mover with telekinetic abilities, who teams up with Cassie, a teenager who can see the future (aka a Watcher). Together, they must locate Kira, a Pusher who can control other's minds, and stop the Division from hunting them down. It's a confusing film at times, and the camera work sure does jump around a lot. The movie drags at times, and picks up at others. It ended up being exactly what I thought it was going to be: a mediocre, corny yet still fun superhero movie.

In Full:

Movers have telekinetic abilities. Watchers can predict the future. Pushers can manipulate and control other's minds. Those are the main types of superheros that are dealt with in this film. The Division are the villains: they try to hunt down the superheros and force them to work for them. However, the injections they give them to make them "stronger," usually always end up killing them. That's what makes these guys the bad guys. Nick is a low-key Mover, who spends his life trying to keep it cool. But when Cassie, a 13-year-old Watcher enters his life, trying to convince him to team up against the Division. But first, they must track down Kira, a Pusher who actually survived the injection the Division gave her. She may end up being the one to save them... or destroy them. It seems like an intricate plot, but strip down the action and the weird names and you're left with this: bad guys try to hunt down good guys and good guys must resist.

Chris Evans sort of ruined his reputation as a decent actor when he starred in the awful thriller, "Cellular." Now, whenever I see him on screen, I try to block that film of his out of my mind and focus on him being the Human Torch. Here, he doesn't steal the show or anything, but he proves that he can be a decent actor when he wants to be. Dakota Fanning plays Cassie, and here she expands her abilities as just a little kid starlet with potential, and fully shows herself as a... teenager. Though she was great in such flicks like "Dreamer" and "War of the Worlds," she was also portrayed as just a cute little girl there. Here, she shows off a mature and older side of her. Camilla Belle, whom I personally love from "When A Stranger Calls," showcases her solid acting here as well. Djimoun Hounsou plays the bad guy here, and he's left with the worst of it all: cardboard lines and nothing much ever to do or say.

This being a high budget production, you can expect some nice visuals. They're not as excessive as a Michael Bay film or anything, which is probably a good thing. However, they're enough to tide your action craving for the time being. The camera work was delibaretly meant to be a bit choppy, and though at times I found that style to be unique and original, other times, I felt it detracted from the potential the action scenes could've had. It wasn't enough to give you a head ache, but it was enough to leave you knowing that the action could've been better. It sometimes reached the point of so outlandish and corny, my friend and I couldn't help but laugh. It was entertaining at times, and cheesy at others. Expect it... go with it.

As noted above, the plot wasn't entirely complex or unique. This is one superhero movie not based off of a comic book, which gave it potential to showcase its uniqueness. It incorporates themes from movies such as "X-Men," but we're never really left with anything memorable. It never really felt unique, even though it could've been. It never really did anything special or took us somewhere we haven't been before. It also seemed to drag on at times, as if I felt the entire 111 minutes of this film. It still kept my interest for most of it, and it was mostly entertaining, to say the least, but I wouldn't pick it up and watch it again anytime soon.

"Push" tries so hard to be an original, entertaining, mind boggling superhero movie. It tries to impress its audience with its over-the-top visuals and at times corny fights. Does it succeed? In a way. It's not all that original and it most certainly isn't mind boggling, but it was entertaining. The movie never really impressed me with its visuals as it did simply hold my interest with them. Through its major flaws, "Push" remains a bit corny, a bit chaotic and a bit fun. It was a fun ride to go along with, but never did the ride give me a sheer adrenaline rush.