Push

Starring: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Cliff Curtis
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of psychically gifted individuals band together to prevent a secretive governmental organization intent on using them to its own questionable purposes.

Review:

Tim: What I like most about Push is that it focuses on the characters more than I would have expected. This easily could have been an effects-driven movie, with little time spent on character development. However, I really got into each of the characters in this movie- I cared about them and the situations in which they found themselves. For me, that is a major victory for this film. Push has some flaws- the plot is overly complicated and hard to follow and suffers from a few major plot holes. However, the movie puts forth a good effort and I found myself entertained throughout. While this isn't a perfect movie, I found it a perfectly enjoyable one.

As I mentioned, the characters are great in this movie. This comes from both the inspired writing and the impressive performances by the cast. I am a Chris Evans fan. He won me over for (pretty much) his career by wonderfully playing Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies. I think he has a great deal of potential, and I enjoyed him in this role. He manages to be dramatic, funny, and at times, a bit heroic. I really enjoyed his performance. I was even more stunned by Dakota Fanning's performance. I have always thought she was a gifted young actress, but I worried she'd lose her appeal as she got older. I can tell you, thus far, that has not happened. I thought she was very good in this movie, holding her own against more experienced actors. I really liked her in this movie. Camilla Belle is not a great actress, but I think she always gives at least a decent effort. I enjoyed her in this movie and I thought she worked well with Evans. Her character is one of the weaker ones, but I never thought her performance hurt the movie. As far as the villain, I was very happy to see Djimon Hounsou in this role. He oozes charisma and I always enjoy his work. He makes a good villain.

One of the many aspects of this film that I enjoyed is that it is far different from many similarly themed movies. I felt like this movie, although it also features people with extraordinary powers, was much more grounded in reality. There have been studies on human beings that have suggested it is possible that some people may be able to predict the future, move things with their mind, etc. I am not saying everything in this movie is completely believable, but it requires less suspension of disbelief than many of these comic book movies coming out today. I liked how these people and their powers were portrayed on screen. Interestingly, I also liked that this movie didn't take place in the United States. I think it gave the film and interesting, different flavor to it. The movie didn't set out to use this change of scenery as a flashy, "Ooh look at me, I'm so different," as the setting simply adds to the story in a quiet way. I liked that.

The reason why I liked Push so much, in spite of its plot holes and occasional silliness, is that the movie is just very entertaining. It gives us a handful of very interesting characters, backed up by strong performances, and then gives us a complex, twisting plot that forces us to hang on and pay close attention. I know that this film received bad reviews from critics, and I openly admit that it is flawed. However, I honestly believe that if a movie is flawed because of its ambitions, if it manages to be entertaining in spite of itself, then I have a hard time hating on it. I had fun with this movie, and that is one of the key elements I look for when watching a movie. I believe that if you sit back and enjoy the ride, you'll be surprised by how much fun you have as well.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Knowing, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Man on Fire, Gladiator, 10,000 B.C.