No more worrying about having to get to the video store on New Release Tuesday before everyone else does to make sure what I want is in stock. Or Redbox either for that matter. Now I can just put the movie in my queue before its released. Time it just right and movie it to that #1 spot just as they receive my previous movies on Tuesday. I've got it down to a science now and "Push" was the first example of that.
Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a "mover", a second-generation telekinetic, who went into hiding after a shadowy government operation known as the Division killed his father more than a decade earlier. He lives a life of relative anonymity in Hong Kong until 13-year-old "watcher" Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) enters his life. She's a clairvoyant who needs his help in tracking down the most powerful kind of psychic called a "pusher". Pusher Kira (Camilla Belle), who may hold the key to bringing down the Division once and for all.
Fresh off the success of "Jumper", you knew another movie about super powers geared toward the teenage crowd wasn't going to be far behind. Okay...it wasn't really THAT fresh since "Jumper" was released in 2008. Still, that's all "Push" really is with several "X-Men" variations thrown in. And some of them blatant rip-offs of the franchise. They just cleverly give their mutants generic titles instead of catchy superhero names.
That's why I can't figure out why Chris Evans would take the role. After two "Fantastic Four" films, he is already commonly known as the Human torch. So instead of trying to get another role to avoid being typecast, he goes the mutant power route again? I guess money talks. Can't really fault him for that.
This is the second film I've seen now in just a matter of days where they force a romantic storyline. Kira goes from shooting at Nate to wanting to make out with him not even 30 minutes (in movie time) later? Nothing at all to indicate they should become attracted to one another. Other than the fact that the filmmakers just wanted these two beautiful people to hook up.
It took me a minute to realize that was Fanning playing Cassie. It had been a while since I had seen her in anything after she started entering her awkward years. I guess she couldn't stay a kid forever. They made sure to make us aware of that with this film. Apparently the rape scene in "Hounddog" wasn't enough for Hollywood to prove how mature she can be. Now they have her getting drunk in this one. I'm sure Dakota won't grow up having any type of trauma.
"Push" just had too many similarities to too many other films to differentiate it enough. Most of the plot is basically just a "Jumper" rehash. The Djimon Hounsou character is nothing more than Samuel Jackson's "Jumper" villain. The finale was stolen from the " X-Men: The Last Stand" with one mutant being the most powerful telepath and a lesser mutant is trying to manipulate her. This must have been another movie being worked on during the writer's strike so they just borrowed from scripts from other films.
On the other hand, it was the super powers that was the one redeeming quality in this film. Sure, we've seen them all before, but their efforts to put twists on theirs is interesting. Such as the pushers' eyes turning entirely black (including the white part) when they start pushing. Or the movers eliciting CGI shields when they evoke certain elements of their power. Although none of it was nearly enough to change the fact there was very little originality at all.
It was clear they were trying to do something a little different with this movie to set it apart from your standard superhero movie. They attempted to make it somewhat of a dramatic thriller. It's something that many superhero films touch to some extent, but intentionally don't try hard to be. There's always a bit of tongue-in-cheek to them. The problem is "Push" does not have writing intelligent enough to accomplish the thriller route. It certainly didn't stop them from still going for it though. And for failing miserably.
My rating: C -
