Push

Push tells the story of a group of young Americans with psychic powers who are hiding from a clandestine U.S. governmental group called the Division. There are eight kinds of psychic powers: movers, who have telekinesis, pushers, who can push thoughts and memories into victims' minds, watchers, who have visions of the future, bleeders, who can emit high-pitched screams and burst blood vessels, sniffs, who possess psychometry, shifters, who can transmute objects for a short period of time, wipers, who can erase memories, shadows, who can cover objects, and stitchers, who can perform psychic surgeries. Through a series of flashbacks, it shows how the Nazis tracked down these psychics and tested them to enhance their abilities and use them as weapons. After the war, the government sought these people to use their powers, creating the Division.

The plot follows Nick, played by Chris Evans, a young mover whose father was killed by Division leader Henry Carver, played by Djimon Hounsou. While he is hiding in Hong Kong, Nick is visited by two sniffers looking for a very powerful pusher who escaped a Division hospital. Discovering he does not know the girl, they leave. Immediately after their departure a young girl named Cassie (Dakota Fanning), enters Nick's room. She claims to be a watcher and says she knows a way they can make $6 million. Nick doesn't trust her and turns down her offer, but before she can leave they are chased by bleeders who work for the Triad, who are trying to find the same girl the sniffers were looking for. Nick is knocked unconscious, and when he awakens sees Cassie holding a lotus flower. Remembering a prophecy his father told him when he was young, Nick decides to trust Cassie. Together they begin searching for the missing girl, who is revealed to be Kira, played by Camilla Belle. It turns out that Kira and Nick had a former relationship, which ended when she was captured by the Division and Nick did not go after her. As they rekindle their relationship, Kira becomes sick because she needs medicine that the Division has. She reveals that she is the only patient who survived an augmentation drug given to her by Carter at the Division. She stole the syringe when she escaped, and this is why everyone wants her back. Together they come up with a complex scheme to defeat the Division.

The plot of Push is extremely convoluted and unnecessarily elaborate. The set up of the movie is similar to that of X-Men: a group of people with special abilities that were cultivated by the Nazis attempt to beat an evil group of people with special abilities. The only difference is that Push is almost impossible to understand by the end. Nick and Cassie's plan to conquer Division is complicated and abstract. The action and fighting scenes are fun to watch, but no one seems to know why it's happening. By the last scene, nothing is resolved and the specifics of the plot are still very unclear. Were Kira and Nick ever really a couple? Was Kira really a Division agent? These questions go unanswered.

Push isn't entirely bad, though. The characters are fascinating and cinematography is great. Chris Evans is charming and cool as Nick, and Dakota Fanning, per usual, gives a great performance. As the film goes on, their relationship progresses from strangers to a brother/sister friendship, and it's touching to watch. The movie is very colorful and plays out like a comic book. There isn't a lot of details on Nick and Kira's past relationship, but from their interactions, their feelings are clear. Despite its flaws, the actors manage to carry Push, making it still fun to watch, as long as you don't pay too much attention to the plot.