On "Push" and Special Powers

Typical of young children who have nothing interesting going on in their young lives, I grew up fantasizing I had special powers. I had “powers du jour,” meaning, the power I wanted changed from day to day, based on what I wanted.

On some days, I fancied being able to turn invisible—when I had to hide from an authority figure, for instance, or when I wanted to take vengeance on classroom bullies. For the latter, I figured the ability to make things move—or telekinesis—would suffice. Maybe I could cause a piece of chalk to fly into said bully’s mouth. Or, I could spill chocolate milk on her notebook, right before the teacher was about to check her work.

At some point, particularly when I was craving for something, like chocolate, I wanted the power to be able to change things. I wanted to be able to make money appear in front of me, so I could buy whatever I wanted. Of course, I still had to figure out where the real money would come from, as even then, I didn’t want to abuse my non-existent powers.

I once fancied being able to see the future, too, but faced with the possibility of seeing my own death or the deaths of the people I love, I quickly vetoed this option. I suppose this is why, as I watched Push, I identified best with Dakota Fanning’s character, Cassie Holmes.

Push creates a world in which some people, both kids and adults, have the above-mentioned special powers—and more. The film features Movers (the telekinetic), Watchers (those who can see the future), Pushers (those who can force a suggestion in people’s minds), Sniffs (those who can read objects to know where they’ve been and what happened around them), Shifters (those who can change things), Bleeders (those who can kill people by screaming), Shadows (those who can block Pushers, Sniffs, and, for a while, Watchers), and Wipers (those who can erase people’s memories). The strongest power, I surmise, belongs to the Pusher, because they can mess with the minds of others, going as far as creating phantom memories. These super-psychic people have been “harvested” for a long time by governments who want to use them for warfare, and in Push, they’re battling a U.S. government agency called the Division dedicated to this purpose, and for which super-psychic people also work.

Pusher Kira (Camilla Belle) escapes the Division after surviving a drug that would either kill her or boost her powers. She brings the valuable drug with her to Hong Kong, where her boyfriend Mover Nick (Chris Evans) is hiding. An old plan—prepared years ago by Cassie’s mother, who is one of the best Watchers—unfolds, bringing Watcher Cassie into Nick’s life, as well as bring other super-psychic people together. Cassie says in the beginning that battles have been fought, but now is the time to win the war. 

The film can’t escape comparison to X-Men or, even, Heroes. There’s a striking difference, however, that allows Push to stand on its own: It’s got the special effects, alright, but it’s pretty low-key and quite cerebral. Plus, it also put Hollywood sci-fi in a Hong Kong setting, so the flavor is quite different. In fact, the third team fighting for the drug is a scary Chinese Mafia-type, and the image that makes a lasting impact is that of the Chinese Bleeder brothers doing their thing.

Evans is obviously well on his way to becoming a big star. Belle is pretty much in her dark, gothic element. Fanning, on the other hand, crosses the bridge from “child star” to “young actress” excellently. Her character is 13 years old, but one who is in Hong Kong all on her own and has a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Considering her history, you’d expect her to portray yet another perceptive child genius, but she does normal, albeit super-psychic, strikingly well. I still foresee a bright career for this kid. And I’d push producers to make a sequel of this film.

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