Usually in any piece of media that involves superheroes, the concept of superpowers are usually seen as something supernatural. Since the only limit to making up these powers is imagination, the makers behind superheroes usually come up with fantastical powers that could not exists in real life. One that comes to mind is Dr. Strange and one of his abilities being that he can manipulate matter to his will. Although this is all fun, what if superpowers could actually exist in the real world? What would it look like in a superhero movie that is more grounded in reality? This idea is explored in the 2009 superhero film Push, starring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning and directed by Paul McGuigan.

Story

The story takes place in a modern day world that is different from ours, where some people are born with supernatural powers. Depending on which type of power someone has, they are categorized into one of nine different groups:

• Movers have the ability to move objects with their mind, otherwise known as “telekinesis.”
• Pushers have the ability to implant false memories into someone’s mind in order to manipulate them.
• Watchers can see glimpses of future events.
• Bleeders emit super sonic screams that can rupture blood vessels and break glass.
• Sniffers can trace back the history of an object, which can also help them track down certain people.
• Shadows can block out the ability of Sniffers, preventing them from tracking someone down.
• Shifters can change the appearance of an object, but only temporarily.
• Wipers can erase the memories of others, either temporarily or indefinitely.
• Stitches have the ability to heal, or un-heal someone.

While having these psychic abilities sound like a blessing, in this world it’s more of a curse. A government organization called the Division are capturing people with psychic powers and turning them into weapons by enhancing their abilities via a drug. Because of this, psychics have to live in hiding from the Division, such as our main character Nick. (Chris Evans) He’s a Mover living in Hong Kong and lives a mostly normal life, while also trying to avoid the watch of the Division. However, all of that changes when he is visited by a teenage Watcher named Cassie. (Dakota Fanning) She tells Nick about a Pusher named Kira (Camilla Belle) who has recently escaped from the Division, along with a briefcase containing the ability enhancing drug. If the two manages to find Kira and get a hold of that case, then they would be able to put a stop to the Division. The rest of the film follows the two trying to find Kira and the case before the Division, and a Chinese gang who want the drug to sell it, finds her first.

I think that the premise of the movie, along with the superpowers itself, is very cool because of how grounded in reality it is. Of course psychic powers like these do not currently exist in real life, and probably never will. However, these powers aren’t too crazy and “out there” that it feels like it could possibly exist in real life. Especially since the story of this film is also based on real life experiments conducted by the US Government to control people with possible psychic abilities, such as Project Star Gate. The setting of Hong Kong is also an interesting choice for a superhero film, but I think it fits since this film is trying to be different from the other superhero films around this time. Not to mention, but this Hong Kong setting is also beautiful to look at and is popping with bright colors like red and green.

Despite the praise I’ve been giving Push so far, I also have my fair share of gripes with it as well. First of all, the film starts to become a bit hard to follow, well towards the end at least. This is because a lot of characters are introduced throughout the film with their own different motives and powers, that it starts to become difficult to keep track of what is going on. That and along with the Pusher’s ability to put fake memories into the minds of other characters, I started to think to myself at a certain part in the movie, (without spoiling anything by naming characters) “Wait, so is this character actually a villain this whole time, or are they thinking they’re a villain because a Pusher made them think that way?” That is not to say that the movie 100% does not make sense. Because this is one of these movies that you understand better on a second viewing. I usually enjoy movies like this because it feels very rewarding to fully understand the movie, not by someone else telling you, but by watching it again. Push is no exception, somethings does make a lot more sense upon second viewing. But I won’t lie and say that towards the end of the film I felt a little confused at the plot. That, and there are some moments or plot points in this film that I wish were expanded upon more. One of which being Cassie’s mom, who is one of the world’s most powerful Watchers, yet she is only mentioned a few times in the film and has only appeared for one scene. I would have LOVED to see and know more about her, but sadly that is not the case.

Which also brings me to my last gripe about the film, the ending.

(I’m going to try and not spoil anything about the ending. So if it sounds like I am leaving some details out, then that’s just me trying not to spoil the ending or any other important plot details.)

So the ending of Push does what a ending is supposed to do, provide a conclusion to the story. It does that, but at the same time it also feels a bit incomplete, like something else was supposed to happen after the ending. This is because the ending sets itself up for a sequel, which will sadly never happened. I would love for a sequel to Push because I find the world that this movie created to be so interesting and I would love to see more of it, along with seeing some “loose ends” being “tied up.” But because of the film making a little past its budget at the box office (Budget: $38 million. Box office: $48.9 million.) and negative reception from critics, we may never get a full conclusion to this movie which is a real shame.

Characters

In terms of characters, the main characters seen in Push are fun and have really cool abilities. But where this film excels at is character growth. Nick and Cassie have such great chemistry together and it is so endearing to see a comradery grow between them as the film progresses. I also like that at the beginning of the film, they both haven’t quite gotten the hang of their powers. Nick can levitate objects in the air for a short amount of time, while more experienced Movers can not only do this for a longer time, but also deflect bullets. Meanwhile, Cassie isn’t able to predict everything from the future. It’s great to see people with extraordinary abilities like these also have their own flaws. Because it makes them more relatable and adds some humanity to their character, despite having powers that no one in real life can have. The side characters in Push are also great and have their own interesting abilities, but like with Cassie’s mom I wish I got to know them more.

Final Thoughts

When I finished watching Push, I went to see what the critical reception was for the film. As I said before when discussing the possibility of a sequel, the movie gained a lot of negative reception from critics and Push currently sits at a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. At first, I was surprised to see such a low rating. But at the same time I could see why some people would not like this movie. Although the makers of Push created such a fascinating and original world, complete with great characters that make it so engaging to watch them grow throughout the film. The plot still leaves out details that would’ve been so great to see in this film, but decides to leave them for a sequel that does not exist. It can also be hard to follow the story at first, but it helps to watch it a second time to get the full picture. So with all this said, would I recommend anyone to watch Push? Well, if you feel interested in the film from how I described it, then I think you should give it a shot if you come across it one day. Although I wouldn’t give it my full recommendation because of the flaws Push does have, I still think if you are the least bit interested in the movie then you should give it a watch. Because at the end of the day, I still liked and appreciated the film for the interesting world it created along with great character growth, despite having its setbacks.

Push is available for streaming via the Showtime app or online.

 

 

Well with Halloween over, it’s time to return with more wholesome, less scary films to digest. Although I’ll sure miss Halloween, (at least until next year comes around) it is nice to get back to watching movies that won’t have me jumping at almost every second. So with that said, for this week I chose to review one of my most favorite coming-of-age high school films, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, directed by Stephen Chbosky.

Story

The story follows an awkward high school freshman named Charlie (played by Logan Lerman), who has trouble socializing and making friends. He hasn’t had the best childhood and his high school experience mostly involves other students bullying him. Despite this, he manages to grow a connection with his English teacher (played by Paul Rudd) and two senior students, Sam (played by Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (played by Ezra Miller). The two invite Charlie to different social gatherings such as a midnight screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show. From then on, the film follows Charlie as he goes through the highs and lows of being a freshman high school student and dealing with what happened to him as a child. The film tackles heavy themes and subject matter, such as depression, anxiety, and loss.

First of all, I love how this film manages to portray real life. The situations these characters experience and how they react to said situations and to each other feels very real. I especially love the character growth of Charlie, but more on that later. As I said before, the film does not shy away from discussing heavy subject matter. Although it does not show it to an extreme extent, (this is a PG-13 rated movie after all) I still felt the film did a terrific job at addressing these themes. I know that so far I must be making this movie sound like a complete downer fest. This however is not true, as the film has a lot of funny moments that had me smiling with glee. Overall, I love this story and how it respectfully portrays these aforementioned themes.

Characters

As I’ve said before, the film follows a group of high school friends, Charlie, Sam and Patrick. Charlie is our main character and my personal favorite. He is shy and socially awkward, but he is also very smart and a caring person as well. At first, he doesn’t want to socialize with anyone, but that all changes when he meets Sam and Patrick. They help break Charlie out of that shell by taking him to different social events and introducing him to their friends. The reason I like Charlie so much is because it’s great to see him grow as a character throughout the film and to learn about his past. He goes through ups and downs during his freshman year and even makes mistakes, but it’s great to see him learn from these mistakes. This makes him feel more like an actual person rather than a character. Another reason as to why Charlie is my favorite character is because I can relate to some aspects of his personality. In high school, I was also really shy and didn’t know how to make friends or to not act awkward. Eventually, I did find my own clique and they helped bust me out of my shell. With that said, I am very glad that a character like this is portrayed in this film because it is rare to see characters like Charlie represented in a lot of coming of age films, especially as the main character.

Of course, I cannot forget about the other characters, Sam and Patrick, however. Both are extremely charismatic and have wonderful personalities and motivations. Sam is Charlie’s love interest and wants to enroll in a prestigious university, not only to receive a great education, but to prove to those that did not believe she could wrong. Patrick is more of the comic relief of this story. He’s very charismatic and funny, but he also has things going on in his life that he is dealing with, such as trying to keep his sexuality a secret.

The chemistry between this trio is also worth mentioning. The way they talk to each other feels so genuine, as if they are really friends. This is mostly thanks to the film’s writing and acting. The three actors portraying the main characters do a great job at pulling off the emotional moments seen here. The supporting characters are also good, but I found them to be a bit forgettable when compared to the main three. Except for Charlie’s English teacher Mr. Anderson. He doesn’t have much screen time in this film, but I am willing to say that he is still a very important character. My reason being one quote that he told Charlie early on in the film: “We accept the love we think we deserve.” I love this quote not only because it is a major factor in Charlie’s growth as a character, but also it’s just a great quote in general. I’ve seen so many unhappy couples and whenever I see them I just think: “Why are they together? They’re clearly not happy.” Then this quote comes to mind and I think the reason as to why they are together is because they think they’re happy, but really they aren’t. Overall, the characters here are great; anyone could relate to what they are going through, though some can be a bit forgettable and I absolutely love that quote from Mr. Anderson.

Music

Most of the music in The Perks of Being a Wallflower isn’t original, but I don’t think that is a bad thing. The songs featured fit well with the time period the movie is set in (the 1980s), but most importantly the music does a great job of establishing the tone of high school. Songs like Temptation by New Order or Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners are the kinds of songs you would hear being blasted out of a car during a teenage joy ride, which I believe fits this movie nicely.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I adored The Perks of Being a Wallflower. From it’s story of being in high school in the 80s, to respectfully tackling the problems that teenagers can face. It’s wonderful main trio, and a few good supporting characters that get a little overshadowed by our main characters. To a very thought provoking quote on love and relationships, and finally, it’s great selection of music. I recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower to those who enjoy coming of age films. The film isn’t available for streaming  on any platform, so your best bet is to rent or purchase the film on DVD.