Push is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan. The film stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis and Djimon Hounsou. The film centers on a group of people born with various superhuman abilities who band together in order to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in hopes of creating an army of super soldiers.

I'm calling this a "sorta review" because I did something Friday that I haven't done in over a decade.

I walked out on a movie.

I pride myself on having the intestinal fortitude to sit through just about anything I pay good money to see theatrically, though Lord knows I've been tempted on many occasions to run screaming from the multiplex. I mean I didn't leave my seat during TOYS and ROBERTO BEGNINI'S PINOCCHIO and if ever there were two films that tested my soul... The last time I walked out on a movie was TARZAN AND THE LOST CITY back in 1998. I was so bored that bailed on it with only fifteen minutes remaining so that I could go get a headstart on some errands I had to run afterwards, and keep in mind this was a dollar theater matinee I skipped out on. I've only ever walked out of two other films prior to that. First time was AMOS & ANDREW; after a laughless half hour I decided to just go down the hall and get my money's worth watching ARMY OF DARKNESS for a third time. Then there was JERKY BOYS: THE MOVIE. That one sent me packing thanks to a combination of 45-minutes of anti-comedy and my feeling sick to my stomach. Two days after viewing half of JERKY BOYS: THE MOVIE I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a bacterial infection of the intestines. Coincidence?

I don't think I'll be diagnosed with any gastrointestinal issues after PUSH. It wasn't even god awful like some movies I've actually sat through from start to finish. I gave a seventy some odd minutes and it gave me nothing in return. I think the bigger problem here is that I've finally reached my saturation point when it comes to mediocre movies that don't try and don't care. My tolerance has waned for movies that are not good yet aren't stunningly bad or entertainingly bad, just uninteresting and dull in the most blah manner possible; movies that start off with all the potential in the world but fail to capitalize on their premise. I'm tired of it. I've noticed a plethora of such films I've had this reaction to in the last year whether it be theatrical, DVD, or Sci-Fi Channel releases. I'm over it. Much like with that ill-fated Casper Van Dien TARZAN flick, I decided I'd rather get a jump on some shopping I needed to do before going into work than wasting another 40+ minutes not caring about what happens in the end.

PUSH is merely JUMPER all over again only with less flash, a poorer pace, and a nothing story. Teleportation has been replaced by all manner of psionic powers. We're completely bombarded with all manner of mentally powered beings possessing the abilities to manipulate the minds of others, locate people telepathically, move objects with their minds, explode things with their screams, prognosticate the future, view a person's past by sniffing their personal objects, and so on. You got pushers, watchers, screamers, movers, shakers, bakers, candlestick makers, etc. All these superhuman means of mental manipulation but not one that could make me give a damn about anyone or anything I was watching on the screen.

With the exception of seeing Dakota Fanning pretend to be the lost punk rock Olsen Twin, every character is total bore. Chris Evans trades in his Human Torch FANTASTIC FOUR powers in favor of playing a character with the uncanny ability to suck the life out of every scene he's in. He and his scruffy facial hair are your standard superpowered reluctant hero on the run from a nefarious government agency that rounds up his kind to experiment on in hopes of creating an unstoppable army. He even watched his father get killed by them right before his eyes as a kid. Just like JUMPER, the authoritarian bad guy after him just happens to be the lone black actor in the cast.

Not a whole heck of a lot of action either before I gave up. There sure is a whole heck of a lot of talking (and drawing) about who they ought to go talk to next. No wonder the movie is titled PUSH; that's what you have to do to get the story to go anywhere - get out and push. Characters are constantly going from one place to another but the plot seemed to have no forward progress.

Someone else meets up with someone else and they have to go find someone else, but first they have to go meet with someone else who uses their psychic powers to give them a clue to take to someone else that can use their psychic powers on it to find the location of that someone else and then they find that someone else and have to take that someone else to someone else to keep that someone else safe while they go to meet up with the next someone else. And all these someone else's are within walking distance of one another in Hong Kong. After 70-minutes of this I finally reached the point where I decided I'd rather go do something else.

Fewls

BJs Grade:

A-

genius.

I rather enjoyed it. The twisty storyline is on the shallow side (dire use of a MacGuffin), but engaging. The acting is solid (Chris Evans is a charismatic, intense lead and Dakota Fanning shines in her role). And the visuals, including the Hong Kong locations, are vibrant and memorable. To be honest, I'm a tad surprised people are being so hard on this one. It surpassed my expectations and I was both entertained and satisfied. Another solid entry from the underrated Paul McGuigan.

B+

Can you expand on this? Perhaps a point or two on why it is genius? Thanx in advance...

Can you expand on this? Perhaps a point or two on why it is genius? Thanx in advance...

Can you expand on this? Perhaps a point or two on why it is genius? Thanx in advance...

Well You liked Taken....I didn't ask you to explain that.