Movie Review: Push

A sci-fi thriller which involves a group of young American with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities, hiding from a clandestine U.S. government agency in China. They must utilize their different talents and band together for a final job enabling them to escape the agency forever.

The first word that comes to mind trying to think of what to write for this movie is "convoluted". The plot and character development are just all muddled and messy I thought. There are some great action sequences, but not nearly enough to make it a great film. As it stands it'll do for some quick A.D.D. type entertainment, but it could have been so much more.

I like the cast really, as Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) is one of my new favorites, Chris Evans (Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films) is decent, Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) is somewhere between her cute stage and her stage of showing whether or not she has any acting chops, and Camilla Belle (When a Stranger Calls) is just gorgeous. I'd let her use her psychic powers of persuasion on me anytime. I never really felt the chemistry coming from the screen between her and Evans though.

Back to the movie itself though. It reminds me a bit of Jumper from last year, but it's a bit more talky. The sci-fi effects were cool but underused and the cinematography is great. It's just got a serious case of style over substance (and logic). It's just to confusing and chaotic for me to really ever settle in and escape. I like my super-powered movies to have more action and less explanation. Films based on comics have an advantage in that most fans know the character's story and abilities already before the opening sequence. This feels like a comic book movie without a comic book.

The end leaves a sequel opportunity wide open, but I think I'll pass really. Unless maybe they dumb it down for me.

5.5/10