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A few weeks ago, critics received a press kit for Summit’s new thriller, Push—featuring several pages of detailed descriptions. Since I try not to read too much about a movie before I actually see it, I set the package aside—only to pick it up again when a colleague strongly encouraged me to read it. Now, after seeing the movie, I’m glad I did—and I wish you could, too.
Push is a head-spinning sci-fi adventure about people with psychic abilities—and the deadly government agency that’s trying to take advantage of them.
Ten years ago, Nick (Chris Evans) watched as Division agents kill his telekinetic father. Since then, he’s been on the run, trying to escape the same fate. He’s even managed to live a pretty normal life in Hong Kong. But then he meets Cassie (Dakota Fanning), a bold teenager who can see the future—and all that changes.
Cassie tells Nick that he’s supposed to help her find a girl who can lead them to some sort of a case—the contents of which will help them bring down Division and save Cassie’s mother from Division’s control.
Cassie’s visions lead them to Kira (Camilla Belle), a girl from Nick’s past—and the only one to survive Division’s experimental injections. She’s hidden the case—and she doesn’t remember where—so Nick and Cassie enlist the help of others in Hong Kong who can help them get to it before Division does.
At its core, Push is like a mix between Jumper and X-Men. But the world of Push is an extremely complex one—filled with “Pushers” and “Watchers” and “Movers” and the horrifying “Bleeders.” The characters have different kinds psychic powers—whether it’s moving things or seeing into the future or healing the wounded or controlling people’s memories—and they use all kinds of terminology that’s barely explained (except, of course, in the press kit). Fortunately, I already knew about the characters and their abilities and their terminology, so, for the most part, I managed to keep up; the average viewer, however, could easily get lost.
If you can overlook the complexities, though, Push is a pleasantly puzzling and often suspenseful film. Unless you’re a Watcher (like Cassie), you’ll rarely know what’s coming next—and you’ll never really know who’s telling the truth and who’s under the spell of a Pusher. Though the effects aren’t exactly stunning and the story has its share of holes, at least the high-energy fights and chase scenes make up for it.
But Push’s greatest fault—even greater than its complicated plot—is its disappointing ending. When the closing credits roll, very little (if anything) has been resolved. And while it may be perfectly acceptable to leave an opening for a possible sequel, it’s not okay to leave the first movie unfinished in the process—but that’s exactly what happens here.
So while Push may offer plenty of sci-fi thrills, I foresee that the intricate plot and the unsatisfying conclusion will leave you feeling slightly confused…and seriously cheated.
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