Fire the writers!
Lover: Taken From IMDB
“Push reminds me the Day Watch and Night Watch movies by Timur Bekmambetov, which are based on the novels of Sergei Lukyanenko. The action in these movies is not refined as the occasional Hollywood thriller. It is somehow more intense and usually feels more realistic. The characters in Push are normal individuals that happen to be born with abilities. Not like the usual superhero-super villain clashes we are used to seeing in blockbuster comic movies, Push delivers the action and drama in a more simple and natural fashion. And because the characters are normal individuals, feeling sympathy and familiarizing them with yourself for all their troubles and confusions and all they go through in the movie become much more easier. I really wish they'd do a sequel for Push.”
I can’t see the comparisons to Nightwatch films at all; however I agree that the action feels a little more visceral in this than most films of its type. However when it really matters it does all get a bit clichéd.
Hater: Taken from IMDB
“It's the aged all comic book plot line, about a secret organisation that hunts people with special powers and uses them as weapons for the 'Greater Good', the only person that can stop them is a loser who hasn't even learnt how to use his powers properly. Chris Evans was quite funny as the Human Torch, but here he is out of place, as the 'Saviour'...Dakota Fanning doesn't do much, which is quite surprising as she is an actor who has given greater performances...We, do get to see a ravishingly beautiful, Ming-Na...The action is weak, the whole 'plan' is even more confusing and unnecessary. Overall a bad movie...”
Hit the nail on the head here, because of all the other movies of its type that have come out are more than likely based on comic books, they get away with being a little contrived. When you want to create a story from scratch specifically for the big screen you need something original, the best idea put in this film is the names given to the people with powers; pushers, shadows, bleeders.
What I thought:
Because it’s a story you’ve seen or read a hundred times it s a little hard to get into push, an original movie with no source material really needs to get you behind the characters. It’s not that any or all of the characters aren’t likeable it’s just they aren’t written very well. The only one who comes close is a character called Hook Waters played by Cliff Curtis, he should be a wisecracking character but is just to plain speaking to be interesting. Him and the rest of the people that help out our main characters are brought into the film and completely forgotten.
It also drags; the action set pieces are too far apart and filled up with sequence after sequence of dull characters trying to explain a dull non original back story of government experiments. There’s nothing wrong with using an idea that has been repeated before but add something that carries the film. This film has nothing that can carry its way out of obscurity, which is a shame cause I think there’s a good movie in there somewhere.
