Across the infinite takes on superhero cinema, everyone's seen their favorite comic book mainstay a million times. Though there are still countless lesser figures across Marvel and DC's catalogs, original heroes have a lot to add to the conversation. Some examples disappear into the noise, like Paul McGuigan's 2009 effort Push.
McGuigan is best known for directing individual episodes of larger TV shows. He directed the first episode of BBC's Sherlock, the season two premiere, a couple of episodes of Luke Cage, and the finale of Dracula. As for his big-screen efforts, he crafted Lucky Number Slevin and Victor Frankenstein, neither of which drew much attention. He's an interesting filmmaker with a rough history behind him.
Push takes place in a mostly-grounded world that diverts from reality around the end of World War II. Nazi experiments designed to create psychic super soldiers partially succeeded, leading the rest of the world's governments to create organizations to keep track of superpowered individuals. America's Division seeks to create a serum that will enhance natural psychic gifts and kidnaps anyone powerful enough to oppose them. The hero of the film, Chris Evans' Nick Gant, lost his father to The Division and carved out a meager living for himself as a low-level gambler. When a teenager who can see the future appears looking for his help, Nick has to track down an old flame and go to war with the seemingly all-powerful Division.
The most interesting thing about Push is the way it handles its powers. There are a variety of psychic gifts, each of which gives its user a catchy title. Movers are telekinetic, Pushers can telepathically convince others of anything, Watchers can see the future, Bleeders can emit a deadly scream, and so on. Some powers are very straightforward, while others require a bit of explanation. Most action scenes pit telekinetics against each other, forcing them to use their powers in unique ways. Characters throw each other around, use floating handguns like turrets, block bullets with their minds, and more. Outside of combat, the wide variety of psychic powers become crucial parts of the heroes' battle against a vastly better-armed foe. Minor characters exhibit the ability to change the visual appearance of items, erase memories, or hide things from other psychics. The powers are interesting in the way they interact, and tons of imaginative exchanges make the film engaging.
The cast of Push is very strong. Chris Evans takes the lead role, between his brief stint as The Human Torch and his long career as Captain America. His character Nick isn't a superhero, he's a guy struggling to get by with his limited gifts. He's in over his head, and he spends half the movie being thrown across the room by more powerful foes. Evans is solid in the role, imbuing his simple character with a combination of easy charisma and regular self-sacrifice that would later become key to his take on Steve Rogers. Alongside Evans, beloved child actor Dakota Fanning portrays moody teenage Watcher Cassie. Cassie is almost too interesting a character for the film she's in. She's the daughter of the world's best clairvoyant, which means she's been hunted from the moment she was born. She gets That's So Raven style flashes of the future, that occasionally grant her a brief rush of power. It's so interesting to watch someone who's always been on the back foot revel in a temporary moment of being the smartest person in the room. Djimon Hounsou turns in a solid performance as the central antagonist, simultaneously diplomatic and domineering.
The problem with Push is its structure. The film is constantly hiding information from the audience in a way that can make the plot tough to follow. Though Push made some money at the box office, its reception was fairly grim. Critics at the time enjoyed the film's presentation but hated the convoluted plan of its heroes. It's a fair complaint. Characters have their memories wiped, making even the participants unaware of what will happen next. Twists come out of nowhere because the script helpfully features built-in reasons to hide information from the audience. It's all a bit messy, but there are plenty of interesting character beats and great action set pieces throughout the slightly confusing story.
Push is far from perfect, but it's a fun superhero action film that deserves a mention in the current conversation. Marvel and DC have ensured that audiences everywhere are sick of capes and comic books, but films like Push could remind the world of the varied takes on the concept. Push plays with its powers well, brings great performances out of its cast, and delivers a lot of fun in its tight 110-minute run. Push will never get a sequel and most of the cast probably don't remember making it, but it's the kind of outside-the-box mid-budget action fare that will undoubtedly become a favorite of certain audience members.