Héroes

I was really surprised by how entertained I was by this. There were many negative reviews of this film and after watching the film I realised how many critics are actually quite lazy. They derided the plot as convoluted but actually I found it complex but understandable. To dismiss it as a heroes knock-off is also unfair. It's a sci-fi film but that doesn't mean all sci-fi films are the same. The film makes good use of its Hong Kong location more so than any recent film I've seen and the characters were memorable. The special effects were there for the story and not the other way around. I usually read film reviews but am glad, in this instance, I ignored them.

Push offers a very interesting premise with its wide variety of psychics and the agency trying to keep it all under control and use them. Hong Kong offers an exotic background for the action to take place.

The movie makes an interesting attempt at being half action thriller, reminiscent of a Bourne movie, and half super-hero blockbuster, in the tradition of the X-Men. But director Paul McGuigan is never able to make us fully feel for the characters and their ordeal and the action sequences, while pleasant to watch, never instill emotional response. We're not scared for anyone, our blood does not pump during chases either.

The two stars of Push are an unlikely duo of actor which surprised me somewhat. Chris Evans has often been derided as being just another bland pretty face. Here, he is paired with young Dakota Fanning, who has been revered by many as a child prodigy actress. What's interesting to me is that, had I not seen previous films from these two, I wouldn't notice much difference in quality between the two. They both give a suitable performance. Neither Oscar-worthy nor garbage.

Unfortunately, the support cast is very weak. Camilla Belle is pretty but bland as usual. Cliff Curtis and Djimon Hounsou are both amazing actors but here they have very little to work with. I blame McGuigan and writer David Bourla for not providing them with opportunities to shine.

What makes this movie a 5 rather than a 6 is its confusing and botched conclusion. As if somehow the production ran out of time and needed to wrap things up on the spot. Perhaps hoping for a sequel? Push has an intriguing premise and more than enough basic material to be stretched into a trilogy or even a short TV series but as is the rule of thumb with those sort of things, it is doubtful things will get better should sequels be produced.

I wish the premise had been used to tell a better story, in a better way.

Push is a movie that shouldn't have been a movie. There are so many cool ideas and concepts here, a world I'd love to know more about and explore further but cramming it all into one movie was a mistake. This would work so much better as a (mini)series but we get what we get. As a movie, it's a mess of mixed ideas mashed together, characters rush through things and the world is a string of narration and clumsy storytelling. The acting and the cinematography are all a little off too leaving this feeling like it's got great potential but in reality it's a whiff on delivery.

I still feel like this is worth a background watch for science fiction fans, the ideas here are really interesting but the reality is that it's a clunky, awkward and underwhelming mess of a film.

The fact I had heard next to nothing about this movie made my expectations low, but while it was light on characterisation and a back story it was an okay 'Super Power' movie. Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning were fine in the leads but I couldn't figure out whether Camilla Belle's performance was deliberate or an inability to act. I would say give the movie a try, it's better than 'Jumper'.

All of the reviews I've read of this movie have savaged it and, personally, I didn't think it was nearly bad as bad as all that. There were some interesting characters (the guy they enlist to help them hide themselves from the bad guys comes to mind here), and it put a new and interesting spin on the whole "people with super powers" genre. BUT...what really makes me love this film is the depictions of Hong Kong. See, I have been living in Hong Kong for almost 5 years now and I've told all my friends and family that if they want to get a good look at the many sides of the city (other than the touristy facade is typically presented), watch this movie. The film makers really did a great job of capturing what it's like to wander around Hong Kong, and the cinematography is like eye candy.