I will admit that after my first viewing I was slightly confused by the story of Push because it was a little hard to follow for me. However, after rewatching it once more (okay, twice if you count once with the commentary track), I can finally say that I think I get it.
Push creates an interesting world involving people with powers, including a telekinetic “mover,” Nick (Chris Evans), and girl who can see the future, or a “watcher,” named Cassie (Dakota Fanning) as they search for Kira (Camilla Belle), a girl who is able to bend people to her will by giving them false memories. However, they are not the only ones searching for her. Division, a government based organization, is also looking for Kira because she is the first person with abilities to survive a unspecified drug injection, as well as break out of the facility with a syringe full of it.
Though I was originally drawn to this film because of the X-Men like powers numerous people in this world have, as well as the visual effects this promised, the story was strong enough to keep this film from becoming just another movie about the gifted fighting against the government for their right to exist in the world as more than just lab rats. Furthermore, it is full of little details, making the film as strong as it is. Though having characters lives cross in numerous ways is nothing new thanks to Crash and the craze it created, it is done in this film in such a way that it doesn’t seem forced, nor does the film rely to heavily on these moments. Instead, they just add to the main story arc. One key example of this revolves around a marble in the opening scene of the movie. Though I won’t give away the specifics so the moment isn’t spoiled, what at first seems like a ridiculously lucky moment actually takes on a fuller meaning when it is mentioned again later. On a different note, another detail that I really appreciated in this film involves Cassie. What I really liked was that in order to show others what she sees in her visions she draws in a pad of paper she carries; however, she isn’t really skilled as an artist, and it is often used as a comic release. This may seem stupid to a lot of people, but I cannot tell you how obnoxious it is when this ability seems to go hand in hand with foretelling the future in other films or shows, as well as being able to draw out their visions perfectly in only a couple of minutes.
Another thing that I really like in this film is the cinematography, which creates a really great visual look. However, sometimes their use of the color palette is a little too much, and often washes over the actors. More than once I was taken out of the film because the actors looked a little too green, and awkwardly so.
Though there are a few questions I wish had been answered by the film before its open ending, Push is highly entertaining and I would strongly recommend it, especially to those who like this genre of film but missed it when it was in theaters.
Final Grade: B
PS – as I just mentioned, there are a few questions I have about this film that I wish had been answered, but I am going to place a big SPOILER ALERT ON THEM, SO DON”T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM YET. Okay, here’s question 1: does anyone know what the “sniffer” (played by Ming-Na) was asked to do in the card Nick gives her? Because I don’t think it was ever shown. Or maybe I just missed it because there was so much stuff going on at this point. And secondly, what are they going to do with the syringe? Are they going to try to use it to take down Division? Or get Cassie’s mother back from them? Goodness I need a sequel…
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