Push

Though it boasts a striking visual sensibility and a number of admittedly thrilling action sequences, Push suffers from an uneven sensibility that essentially holds the viewer at arm’s length virtually from start to finish. This is despite an opening half hour that’s actually quite promising, as screenwriter David Bourla emphasizes a series of individually-compelling set pieces that prove effective at establishing the movie’s off-kilter alternate reality. The film, which follows several paranormally-gifted characters, including Chris Evans’ Nick Gant and Dakota Fanning’s Cassie Holmes, as they attempt to unravel a sinister government conspiracy, benefits substantially from Peter Sova’s kinetic cinematography and François Séguin’s future-punk production design, and it’s consequently not a stretch to label Push a cinematic cousin to Michael Winterbottom’s similarly-themed sci-fi endeavor Code 46. Such comparisons inevitably prove to be unfounded, however, as the middling midsection eventually gives way to a third act that’s almost absurdly convoluted – with the increasingly underdeveloped characters preventing the viewer from forming an emotional attachment to the various protagonists. The needlessly frenetic conclusion only cements Push‘s place as a headache-inducing piece of work, which is certainly a shame give the talent both in front of and behind the camera.

** out of ****