Push (2009) 3.1/10

Push
3.1/10

As much as Push was a failure I did not hate it. There were things to admire about it. It was shot very nicely and the colors popped well despite the slapshot editing that basically counterbalances any impressions that are to be made from the cinematography itself. The cinematography does deserve a little credit though. The performances are not bad either. I have decided I don’t hate Chris Evans. I think, as much as I hate the character type he plays in Fantastic Four, he fits into that smug douchey douche character and Hollywood uses him for that but luckily he is not like that in this at all. While its not a performance that requires much from him, he gets the job done. Dakota Fanning is the one who I clung to in the film though. I am a fan of hers and she basically lights up the movie with her presence. Everyone does a nice job here except for Camilla Belle who is not quite bad; she just has the personality of a toaster. So all in all the actors are trying hard enough and Fanning puts in an entertaining performance. The effects blended in well with the rest of the film and did their job as opposed to being distracting to the film. That might not sound like much of a compliment I find this to be an issue with usually much higher quality films so believe that this is a huge compliment.

The problem does not lie in with the actual concept which, while undeniably unoriginal is also filled with potential. The problem, the fatal problem lies with the plot and the script, both of which are a mess. The plot decides to kick into high gear before we really know the players involved. It uses one dead parent and one unattainable parent as motives for two separate main characters. It never really stops to explain things clearly which is the big problem. There is a suitcase and drawings and a syringe and a girl and there are just too many things going on that really have no real purpose to them. Everyone needs to get there hands on the suitcase. Why? Well it has a syringe that could kill people with powers. Everyone needs it but why? I thought Division wanted to make them stronger and make an army. Then there is the one girl who survived the injection, Camilla Belle, whose character is never developed in the way we hope it will be. Again, as I said her personality leaves much to be desired and everything involving her feels unsuccessful. They try to help the plot make sense but the whole thing is just a mess. Everything is so urgent but you cannot explain why that is. I could not explain much of the plot to someone if I tried. This was the problem. This is why the film was not good.

As I said though, there was potential and there were things I liked. Cassie, the Dakota Fanning character was refreshing as she did not seem to fill any typical role. The dynamic between her and Nick, the Chris Evans character was interesting enough and attaching. I enjoyed Cassie’s drawings as well. I feel bad that they set up the end of the film to be ready for a sequel but I doubt that will happen. It is aggravating at the same time though because plot elements that they set up never become fully seen through which means that the film feels lazy as well as unfinished.

So in conclusion, Push was not good but I did enjoy it mildly even though I had no idea what was happening. Nothing was solid, the film felt like it went nowhere for 2 hours and essentially the film decided to stop 3 quarters of the way through in anticipation of a sequel. The plot was too extremely shoddy and it never gave the characters room to breathe enough as characters rather and necessities to a story. I will say this though, as a last note just to emphasize how much I mean it; I really truly enjoyed everything involving Dakota Fanning in this film.