Push comes to 4k with some impressive technical specifications, but certainly lacks in other areas.
“Hang on tight as a gang of superpowered paranormal operatives takes you on a white-knuckle thrill ride. The excitement starts when a future-seeking Watcher (Dakota Fanning, American Pastoral) convinces a telekinetic Mover (Chris Evans, Spider-Man: Homecoming) to help steal a briefcase that holds a billion-dollar secret. But to outrun government agents, they must enlist a mind-controlling Pusher (Camilla Belle, 10,000 BC) who could be their salvation – or their doom. Also starring Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (Furious 7), Push will pull you in completely.”
In between playing Human Torch and Captain America, Chris Evans tried his hand at another film about people with abilities, but without the lush backstory and source material that the subsequent comics could provide. Push is a very ambitious film, which creates a very unique world in which there are classifications of abilities that those who have them fall under. You can either be a Pusher, Mover, Watcher, or several other types that are alluded to in this film that seeks to create an entire universe of its own.
What Push does well is to integrate these ideas into the story as it unfolds. Although there is a lot of information thrown at you, especially in the prologue, I never felt overwhelmed when a different type of person with an ability showed up, or some new information was thrown at me. This is helped in large by the talent of the actors, as Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou all do a good job at presenting what they’re given.
Unfortunately, Push suffers from a lack of focus, as there are large portions of the film that are hard to understand, or just not that interesting. The item that both the protagonists and antagoinsts seek is a syringe that is supposed to enhance the abilities of people who have them, however, only one person has ever survived being injected with it. That fact seems to make the syringe worthless in my view, as all parties who are after it believes this will help them in their fight against one another, the fact that probably all of them who take it will die nulls any sort of payoff for acquiring this prize.
Although it never feels like the film is an information overload, I do believe the amount of time spent on creating this world and its rules hinders character development. Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning’s characters do have a great rapport, like a big brother/little sister type of relationship that forms. Beyond that, they attempt at rounding out the characters, such as Dakota Fanning seeming to have an alcohol addiction despite being twelve, but I just never felt that I cared enough about the characters to care about their stakes. It’s a shame that this didn’t do well given the setup for a sequel, because the film’s ending can’t stand on its own without more information. As it stands, the ending is just about as lackluster as the rest of the film, posing more questions than we get answers to, all in all, disappointing.
Video
This new edition of Push is presented in 4k 2160 Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1. Probably the best thing about the film is its cinematography and set designs, as the locations in Hong Kong look fantastic, especially in 4k with the HDR, really highlighting the wide array of colors in the film. There is such a contrast with dark, almost depressing tones, and vibrant neon, it looks great on this transfer. This disc also contains Dolby Vision, which I haven’t seen on a lot of releases lately. If you have the ability to utilize the Dolby Vision, it looks so much more impressive than regular HDR.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos, and sounds fantastic. In this film you get a wide variety of different scenes, and despite the impressive scope of sound, the balance ensures you never miss a word of dialogue despite gunshots or the pounding beat of the soundtrack.
Special Features
On this set you’re going to see:
- Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary
- Breaking Down the 9 Types of Psychics (4k Only)
- “The Science Behind the Fiction” Featurette
- Audio Commentary with Director Paul McGuigan and Actors Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning
Push, along with several other stand-alone super hero films during the time, such as Jumper, and I Am Number Four, had great potential but just couldn’t get off the ground. Whether or not this can be attributed to a super-hero awakening thanks to Marvel, it’s hard to say, but these films do have unique qualities to them that do make them entertaining. For the technical side of this disc alone, fans of the film will want to grab it if the price is right.
