Sometimes it’s easy to chose fractals for my posts: other times it becomes virtually impossible. What do you do for a review of a movie called Push? I didn’t have an easily-relatable image so I simply had to create a “chain-of-association” so the image will at least be kindasorta related to the topic. Here’s the chain: Push is set in Hong Kong where “Gong He Fat Choy” is the traditional New Year’s greeting. And that is why I chose Gong He Fat Choy as today’s fractal. Now feel free to enjoy today’s review (unless you’ve made other plans).-
I knew I’d be going to see Push as soon as I saw the trailers for this movie: I’m a sucker for all things psychic--at least in books, movies and TV. (Check out my post A Love Letter Long Delayed (written February 20, 2007 if you‘re curious to know why.) I had such high hopes (like I always do) when I went to see this movie and I was sadly disappointed. Here’s why…
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Push is one of those movies that starts in the middle: there’s a brief explanation of how “Division” (the super-secret governmental bad guy organization) evolved to study and control those who have psychic powers and two brief scenes involving a woman under the control of Division and a scene with our hero as a young man who is told by his father (about to be killed) that help the girl who gives him a flower. Then the movie flashes-forward to a dump in Hong Kong where our hero telekinetic (called a “mover”) Nick Gant (played by Chris Evans in “schlub“ mode) is confronted by Division “Sniffers” (sort of a combination retro cognitive and locator) looking for a case (that will “bring down Division.”) What follows is a long, involved and sometimes confusing journey through the seamy side of Hong Kong where Nick and young “Watcher” (precognative) Cassie (Dakota Fanning) who wants Nick to help free her Mother from Division. (She set the whole plot in motion.) What follows is the adventures of a motley collection of losers who end up working together to get the case and defeat Division once and for all.
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I had some problems with this movie--mainly the structure: I felt like I was watching a series pilot. There were tons of pre-existing relationships that didn’t quite require explanations (but they would have been a huge help). Some of the universe lacked internal cohesion (“Bleeders” had a sort of sonic scream that could do some serious damage and it didn’t make sense within the rest of the story.) The effects were purely OK (I’d say television level) but I would like to have seen better. And, like a series pilot the movie ends without a full resolution. (Was this movie designed to be the first of a trilogy? I don’t know.) At least they did ONE thing right: they said that knowing the future changes it (while precog usually gets stuck in the position that once the future is predicted it is set in stone.)
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Push has a strong but limited appeal: fans of superhero and action movies will likely enjoy it (at least somewhat) although they might find fault with the effects. That being said, I doubt a lot of “ordinary” people could really enjoy this movie. In the end it is more worth renting than rushing out to the theater to see it.
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FINAL GRADE: B-
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