Metascore
36 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 21
  2. Negative: 11 out of 21
  1. Push has a cool, sinewy style, energy to burn.
  2. 75
    The strength of Push is its relentlessness. The movie doesn't pause for anything and, when it provides exposition, it does so without bringing the action to a grinding halt.
  3. 75
    Superhero fans will likely be into Push just for the cool-factor of watching embattled heroes and villains in tense war of wits, wills, and skills. That broader audience is less likely to come along for the ride.
  4. Reviewed by: Dan Zak
    70
    As fantastical as all that sounds, the pleasure of Push comes from its glamorized grit, its no-nonsense pacing and the committed performances of the actors roughhousing in the gray area between heroism and villainy. It's pure popcorn, popped fresh, doused in butter and sprinkled with soy sauce.
  5. Imaginatively filmed by Peter Sova, Push has a dizzying, chaotic energy that pulls you along. Paul McGuigan directs with maximum efficiency and minimum use of computers, creating effects that feel satisfyingly tangible.
  6. Mostly it's a series of dream-image clues scribbled out by juvenile seer Fanning, followed by super-powered smackdowns between agents and mercenaries with slangy titles like watchers, stitchers and sniffers.
  7. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    50
    A supernatural action thriller, is jangly, jarring and violent. But more disconcerting is watching the sweet-faced Dakota Fanning swear, get drunk and pack heat -- in both fists, no less.
  8. Suggestive of "X-Men," "The Matrix" and the television show "Heroes," Push is one of those time-mangling thrillers that manages to seem both complicated and superficial.
  9. A weightless, style-driven thriller set in a photogenically chaotic Hong Kong.
  10. Fanning's watcher is watchable, yet the kid-actress extraordinaire is so polished it kind of makes your head explode.
  11. Reviewed by: Glenn Whipp
    38
    Director Paul McGuigan ("Lucky Number Slevin") has never been keen on plot logic, and that might be fine here if he offered anything other than Peter Sova's lush images of Hong Kong.
  12. 38
    At the very least, a movie like this requires coherence to stay afloat. Barring that, it needs a star to distract us.
  13. Reviewed by: Patrick Parker
    38
    This completely rips off "Heroes," which itself ripped off a great deal from the "X-Men," so no real imagination here...except for the "Sniffs," who creepily track people by smell.
  14. Despite its high-profile cast and a sizable marketing push from distributor Summit Entertainment, audiences won't require any paranormal powers of their own to realize they've seen this one before.
  15. Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    30
    Seems to have been made up as it was being filmed.
  16. Reviewed by: Cliff Doerksen
    30
    A ragbag of shopworn ideas nicked from Philip K. Dick, this sci-fi thriller never stops finding new ways to make no sense.
  17. 25
    A curiously inert and talky action picture about good-looking mutants on the run from bad (but equally good-looking) ones, Push wastes a decent idea and stylish direction on a script that's much more Ingmar Bergman than Stan Lee.
  18. Two awful things about Push are at least interesting: The first is the way in which the story is confused. The second is that the story makes no sense.
  19. Reviewed by: Cammila Albertson
    25
    If your tolerance for repetition in genre films is already low, this one will probably push you right over the edge.
  20. 12
    A grubby cut-price sci-fi thriller.
  21. 11
    I saw the original version of this same story 28 years ago. It was called "Scanners" and it blew my mind for real. Push just blows.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 90 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 50
  2. Negative: 10 out of 50
  1. Push may not be for everyone with it's geeky government super power conspiracy plot, but if you somehow actually managed to enjoy Jumper, or you are like me and wanted to see it done better, this is a good choice. Full Review »
  2. MikeH
    10
    Don't listen to the reviews for this movie. This movie is a great time filled with interesting characters in a world that is as mysterious as it is intriguing. I was completely unaware that after watching this movie more than a dozen times that I was being subjected to a bad and tasteless film until I reconnected to the hive mind here. You'd be doing yourself a disservice if you passed this movie up just because some jaded film reviewer apparently doesn't remember how to enjoy themselves at the movies. Full Review »
  3. Clara
    10
    I really liked it!!! are they going to do a sequel?