Push

Push is currently streaming in Australia on Stan, and in the US on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel and The CW, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 2,462 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Chris Evans leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Put it on tonight on Stan and see for yourself.

There is a reason Push keeps coming up in conversation. Push uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. After his father, an assassin, is brutally murdered, Nick Gant vows revenge on Division, the covert government agency that dabbles in psychic warfare and experimental drugs. Hiding in Hong Kong's underworld, Nick assembles a band of rogue psychics dedicated to destroying Division. Together with Cassie, a teenage clairvoyant, Nick goes in search of a missing girl and a stolen suitcase that could be the key to accomplishing their mutual goal. Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Push came out in 2009. What separates Push from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Push fits the bill. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Chris Evans grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.