Before he was the Human Torch or Captain America, Chris Evans played another superpowered character in 2009’s Push. Also starring Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou, Push featured superhumans and a corrupt, secret organization. While the film didn’t do too well among movie critics, it did fairly well in the box office and overall, I thought it was a pretty entertaining film. It obviously felt like a movie set in the early 200s; which, is amazing considering it came out a year after the first Iron Man. Push was released by Summit Entertainment and Icon Productions and had a budget of $38 million.
The Plot
Evans stars as Nick, who is a second-generation Mover. a Mover is someone who is telekinetic. Nick lives in Hong Kong to try to stay away from the Division, who essentially are using superpowered people in experiments in the hopes of weaponizing them. Nick’s semi-peaceful life of attempting to con dice games with his powers come to a halt when Fanning’s Cassie walks into his life. A second generation Watcher (who can see the future), Cassie and Nick must find Kira. Kira is a Pusher (they can implant memories in your mind) who is the first person to survive the Division’s experiment to boost someone’s powers. Kira escaped the Division, who are now hot on her trail.
Kira is definitely powerful and the idea of a Pusher is probably the coolest power in the movie. We see Kira captured at some point by agents of the Division. She is able to manipulate Agent Mack (played by Corey Stoll), who is a Sniffer (that ability is kind of self-explanatory, right?) into thinking that he had a brother, who was murdered by his partner. None of that is true, but it doesn’t stop him from killing his partner. It also doesn’t stop his supervisor (Hounsou) from later convincing Mack to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. It’s actually funny seeing three actors who would go on to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in this movie.
Let me correct myself, Ming-Na Wen is also in this film, so that’s four actors.
The Good
It’s always great seeing Evans in movies outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, I love Evans as Captain America, but other movies allow him to be more playful and less stoic. Evans and Fanning play well off of each other in Push and they can both be convincing [the fact that they have powers]. Evans does the best he can with what he is given and solidifies why he’s not only a great actor, but why he plays a good hero. It would actually be kind of cool to see how Push would be made in today’s day with a bigger budget. Hounsou is a worthy villain and should be put in more of a lead role more often.
The Bad
Some parts of the film come off a little cheesy. Not that any of us mind Evans in a romantic scene, but it’s completely unnecessary in the movie. The music can make the movie seem like a corny 1990s teen movie. I didn’t particularly like the character of Kira and the movie had a bit of a yellow hue to it that was distracting.
Rating: 3/5
Is Push my favorite Chris Evans movie? No. Is Push one of the better superhuman movies? No. But, it is an entertaining movie that showcases some really cool concepts and abilities. Evans is the best thing about this movie and it would have been really cool to see it developed better. If you are looking for a non-comic book superhuman movie that features a lot of Marvel stars before they were in Marvel, Push is a good option. I’d love to hear what you think of Push, so let me know!
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
