Director: Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Wicker Park)
Screenplay: David Bourla
Producers: Bruce Davey, William Vince, Glenn Williamson
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Ming-Na, Cliff Curtis
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 111 min.
It’s not a huge surprise that a film about individuals with super powers trying to escape from a secret government agency through the streets of Hong Kong didn’t do that well on opening weekend. With the biggest names on the bill being Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans and characters that are reminiscent of comic books but not from them, name recognition is pretty low. Consider that it’s up against the surprise juggernaut of the star studded He’s Just Not That Into You and the Gaiman/Selick Coraline, mix in the lukewarm reviews and you have a recipe for a flop. Is Push deserving of a number one spot? Not likely but definitely more worthwhile of your time and hard earned money than the mediocre Taken.
In the depths of Hong Kong, where cramped quarters are a given and American Government control seems slightly thwarted, reside a number of individuals who are running from a government organization simply referred to as “Division”. You see, these folks have super powers and they’re hiding to avoid being recruited into the folds of the secret agency and being turned into guinea pigs. With the help of a few other specially powered folks, Nick (a “Mover”) and Cassie (a “Watcher”) try to find a woman (a “Pusher”), the only individual ever to have escaped from the grasps of Division, and a drug she’s carrying; a drug that will somehow lead to salvation.
It’s a fairly straight forward story with all the trappings of super heroes but we’re not given a whole lot of back story which is a blessing since a majority of these action hero films tend to drown in origin stories. Unless your movie is an origin story, I don’t really care. I love that McGuigan isn’t afraid to throw us into the thick of things with enough information to float but not enough to fill in all the blanks and as the story unfolds, we learn a little more but never quite enough to satisfy. Like The Matrix, it leaves more questions than it answers and I walked away wanting to revisit this world and learn more. I wanted to know how they ended up in Hong Kong, how their parents (who are apparently the first individuals to have powers) discovered their powers, and how on earth this vial of fluid taken from Division is going to change the world. Success! I’m on board for a sequel!
No spectacular performance to speak of but it’s worth noting that Chris Evans is, again, a draw. He made Johnny Storm the most memorable character in the Fantastic Four franchise (upstaging Jessica Alba couldn’t have been easy) and his charm comes across here as well. As for Fanning, she’s at the awkward stage of making the transition between child and teen actress and she’s doing a good job of it. At this rate, she may actually survive the transition, something I haven’t seen done successfully since Kirsten Dunst.
It’s doubtful that the film will ever see a sequel, thanks mostly to the poor box office return but I’m hopeful that the international release and DVD sales will push it along. In a hodgepodge of sci-fi action, Push covers the range of every other film before it but it does so with style and a dash of freshness that keeps the head shaking and finger pointing to a minimum. I’ll happily add this to my DVD shelf in a few months time and I look forward to the extras – particularly the behind the scenes look at the final fight sequence that featured more bamboo than I’ve ever seen before.
Click “play” to see the trailer:
Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for Push
If you want to watch it onl1ne for free,...
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090204/REVIEWS/902059995/1023
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 9, 2009
Comment by Andrew James — February 9, 2009
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 9, 2009
just as bad as Jumper
Comment by ralph — February 9, 2009
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 9, 2009
Also, the way the technique looks and sounds in the movie is pretty awesome. The car chase is ridiculously cool and everywhere they jump is exotic and fun. There are a couple fight sequences that are kind of poorly edited, but all in all, I had more fun with Jumper than watching Iron Man.
Comment by Andrew James — February 9, 2009
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 9, 2009
Comment by Andrew James — February 9, 2009
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 9, 2009
Comment by Andy — February 10, 2009
Comment by murph — February 10, 2009
More than one apparently.
Comment by Marina Antunes — February 10, 2009
If you’re a fan of “Heroes” and would like to see a fairly straight-forward, 100 minute version of the show, Push is a good place to start.
The movers’ fist fight scene in the warehouse at the end was pretty cool. I also like the screaming guys (Bleeders) – they are bad ass and creepy looking.
Comment by Andrew James — July 27, 2009