Push Blu-ray Review

by Casimir Harlow
Movies & TV Shows Review

5

Push Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £21.69

Picture

Push comes to Blu-ray presented with a vibrant High Definition rendition in the movie's original theatrical aspect ratio of widescreen 2.4:1. Detail is superior throughout, with excellent dimensionality and a tremendously vivid colour scheme to boot. There is a fine sheen of grain, which becomes yet more prevalent during the more 'arty' shots (aside from Watcher-vision, this happens sporadically for seemingly no purpose except perhaps one of attempted stylistic pretensions) but never seems out of place or unintentionally thick. The setting allows for the colours to surge, but they are exaggerated to an almost comic-book level - to superb effect - as the film simply comes to life with colour. Fluorescents prevail, greens, reds and blues, and black levels remain strong throughout, allowing for superb night sequences and shadowing. It's a colourful, exciting palette, and it looks amazing in HD.
Push

Sound

Rather unusually for what could have potentially been a standard comic-book-hero-movie, the soundtrack is packed with powerful and memorable song tracks, and is given suitably weighty presentation with a superior DTS-HD Master Audio track. Dialogue comes across clearly and coherently, largely dominating the fronts and centre channels. The effects are commonplace - almost every 'superpower' utilised has its own effect noise, often sounding like something out of Star Trek - but not necessarily in a bad way. The louder effects include the smashing body blows from the Mover-combat, the common gunshots and, of course, those evil-looking, annoying wailers. There is plenty of room for directionality, and the atmosphere is kept broody with reasonably keen attention to detail. The score itself is quite punchy and energetic, adding to the frenetic pacing of some of the action-based sequences, yet can also be quite haunting and contemplative during some of the more plot-driven moments, but the real highlight comes in the form of a number of perfectly chosen and well-placed song numbers integrated into the proceedings, including tracks from Unkle, The Kills and a bunch of lesser-known artists who offer up some worthy material.
Push

Extras

First up we get an audio commentary by the Director Paul McGuigan, who is accompanied by actors Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning. McGuigan offers up most of the technical bumf, whilst Evans and Fanning are slightly more laid back and humorous. We get a few Deleted Scenes but unfortunately none of them particularly help with any of the plot's loose ends. Still, fans will probably happily delve into these. Finally we get The Science Behind the Fiction, a rather interesting look at the true history of post-war psychic experimentation and relating it (albeit loosely) to the movie itself.
Push
Push is a bit of a case of bad timing, having to fight for recognition in its own right in the wake of popular TV shows like Heroes and films like X-Men, which have largely covered all the bases in terms of stories of people with special powers being hunted by clandestine Government agencies. However, it is actually quite a good movie, entertaining despite the fact that you have to make a few leaps of faith with regard to the plot, packed with colourful, likeable characters and decent performances from the actors who portray them, presented in a vibrant atypical Hong Kong setting, populated by plenty of good action - made yet more tense by the potential for harsh consequences for any or everybody involved - and given an unusual indie soundtrack. Don't be put off by the familiarity of the subject-matter, Push can stand proud alone amidst the crowd. The Blu-ray offers up spectacular video and audio, with a nice selection of extras to round off the disc. Fans are advised to pick it up now, those who like superhero stuff (or any of the cast involved) should definitely check it out and complete newcomers to the genre might even have the benefit of thinking this movie is unusual. Enjoyable viewing.

Scores

Movie

.
.
8

Picture Quality

.
9

Sound Quality

.
9

Extras

.
.
.
7

Overall

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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