I like SciFi and Action type films so to no surprise I enjoyed this film. Chris and Dakota did a fantastic job and also I like where the film was shot as you get to see an exotic scenary. I hope that there is a sequel.
I watched it on Blu-Ray so visually I was very pleased and liked the sound system. Push
It only takes a quick glance at the other reviews for this film to get the sense that this film is just a little above the stale and stinky mark for most viewers. That's ok as it doesn't ruin the experience for those that do find the film to be a bit entertaining, which is where I come in at.
Certainly this isn't what most people would find to be a classic, in fact, more people would likely find it completely forgettable, or at least want it to be forgettable, than would even give the film a bit of a positive reception. Perhaps that's just a sign that Sci-fi fans want and demand better and are easily disappointed when it isn't delivered.
The basic story outline has been laid out in the product information from Amazon. What isn't detailed there are all of the details, though the film does only a mediocre job at best in filling in those details itself. That's perhaps a big part of the reason so many people are down on this film. Things happen, but there's little explanation why in many cases, which leaves a viewer wondering just who they should be feeling sorry for or who they should be supportive of. On the other hand, audiences needn't always be spoon fed all of the details and at times it's best to just turn off your brain and enjoy the ride, assuming there's a decent ride to enjoy.
Push is an ok effort that would probably be a 2.5 star effort if it were possible to choose something between 2 and 3. Maybe even a hair below that (think C minus minus territory), though if there's not much else on, it'll work as an evening's entertainment. Enough to spend purchase money on? Probably not so much. Enough to rent? Certainly.
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.
Overview:
This movie starts 10 years in the past, where Nick Grant (Colin Ford as a youth and Chris Evans as an adult) is a young teenager. His dad is killed by agents of the Division. As the story goes, the Division is a shadowy government organization that has continued doing research into the development of soldiers with psychic capabilities. This research was started in Nazi Germany in 1945 and has secretly continued since then. Radiation is used to improve these capabilities, however, the survival rate after the treatment has not been good.
In order to understand this movie, you need to be aware of the major categories of the different psychics and their capabilities:
- Watchers : able to see future events, demonstrated by drawings;
- Movers: able to control objects without physical contact;
- Pushers: able to implant thoughts and change memories;
- Shifters: these persons can change the appearance of objects;
- Sniffers: smell objects and personal effects to obtain associated info;
- Stitchers: these have healing and hurting capabilities;
- Bleeders: these by shouting can cause bleeding and internal damage;
[Other categories include: Loopers and Shadows no explaination is given for these.]
Storyline:
Cassie Holms (Dakota Fanning) is led by a drawing to find Nick and to get his help to find a briefcase that can lead to the Division's undoing. Initially, he is prepared to walk away from Cassie until a Chinese Bleeder gang who also wants to get their hands on this briefcase come into the picture. From there on in it is a 3-way toss up for who will end up with this prized briefcase.
The Cinematic Experience:
There is a kind of X-men feel to this movie, however, the capabilities are more well defined and the competing parties are more evenly matched. The special effects are very well done, especially when the movers are in action. The gun work is quite unusual, there is no bullet time, but the various opponents use temporary 'mover shields'. There are extra elements of uncertainty added as Nick and Cassie try to mislead other watchers.
Conclusion:
This is an excellent thriller/action film, while some may say that it is not too original, I find that there is enough new material so that it cannot be labeled as a knock off.
Best film ever? Probably not. BUT, it's fun. It's colorful, imaginative, and full of action. For the first time in several years, you've got a slick sci-fi movie that hits all the major points of an instant classic and somehow manages to be totally grounded and unique.
English language, Good looking, plastic, Asian locals and faces make an X-Men style story done low-budget and low key flick feel like easy fun. Powerful DTS HD sound and great photography; decent performances and direction; styled like a realistic comic book and it's another future hit. Shallow but deep in style but mundane in attitude; powerful action scenes and interesting drama. Almost like a film from the 50s, but new.
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. - Action - Paranormal - Telekinesis - Chris Evans'
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