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Push (2009) – Movie Review

Push movie poster

Written by: David Bourla
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou

My Advice: Um. No.

Dear Dakota Fanning. Congratulations on having a heckuva career for somebody who’s just fourteen. But your career won’t live much longer if you pick crap like this movie in your adult career.

The story involves a bunch of brilliant psychically gifted American kids who are on the lamb from The Division, an evil and covert government agency that is out to do them harm. Their special powers would sure come in handy if used by the wrong people.

Fortunately the kids are in the sprawling city of Hong Kong which provides (in theory) ample hiding places to escape. But alas no, The Divison is wily and shrewd as they chase our heroes through the streets, markets and alleys of the city, blissfully ignoring the laws of physics along the way.

[ad#longpost]Nick Grant (Evans) is the leader of the group. He and another mutant, Cassie Holmes (Fanning) are desperately trying to rally together this group as they look for the only woman to ever escape The Division.

If this plot seems familiar it is because there have been three X-Men films and a series called Heroes that involved this kind of thing. Except the X-Men films had Shakespearean actors I it, not the kid from The Grinch and a guy who dated Billie Piper. At least Djimon Hounsou (the guy from Amistad) is in it, although he ain’t no shakes either.

Director Paul McGuigan made a nice film called Lucky Number Slevin that was not too shabby. Unfortunately with Push he tries to bring some of that gangy street grittiness to the superhero film with disastrous results. Despite his best efforts it is implausible to combine Hong King action films and super hero films. It will not work.

This film could have used better actors, some tighter editing and maybe a whole new script. Better yet maybe it should not have been made at all. The environment certainly would have benefitted and the actors involved would surely have avoided a black mark on their careers.

This is a hideously awful film. It makes Jumper and Event Horizon look like fine art.

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