Nick (Chris
Evans) is a so-called
Mover born with the
ability to manipulate
objects with his mind, a
trait he inherited from
his late father. 13
year-old Cassie (Dakota
Fanning), on the other
hand, is a Watcher,
which means she can see
far into the future.
The source of their
superhuman powers is a
Nazi scientific
experiment gone haywire
during the Holocaust in
which kids were fed milk
with radioactive iodine.
Consequently, there’s a
whole race of mutants
roaming the Earth,
including Pushers, who
are capable of altering
others’ minds; Bleeders,
who can rupture eardrums
by emitting high-pitched
sounds; Sniffs, the
psychic equivalent of
bloodhounds; Stitchers,
who can heal the sick
instantaneously;
Shadows, who can block
the clairvoyant visions
of Sniffs; Wipers,
blessed with the ability
to erase memories
temporarily or
permanently; and
Shifters, masters at
creating optical
illusions.
Freaks with telepathic
talents tend to attract
the attention of despots
with world domination in
mind. So, it’s no
surprise to learn that a
clandestine U.S. spy
agency called Division
has been rounding up any
rogue mutants.
Thus, just past the
point of departure of
Push, we learn that a
team of agents led by
Henry Carver (Djimon
Hounsou) has tracked the
trails of Nick and
Cassie to Hong Kong and
plans to bring them back
to America to put them
to work first in service
of the government. The
plot thickens when the
two young expatriates
decide they’d rather
remain free, and proceed
to pin their hopes on
finding Nick’s
ex-girlfriend, Kira
(Camilla Belle), the
only person known to
have escaped the
clutches of Division
successfully.
So, the
chase is on, and the
surprisingly-cerebral
sci-fi adventure which
ensues unfolds in a
fashion that’s not
always easy to follow,
adding up overall to an
alternately thrilling
and thought-provoking
roller coaster ride
which you’ll probably
have to watch more than
once to comprehend
completely. For,
although the “fugitives
on the run” storyline
might sound fairly
conventional on its
face, appearances can be
deceiving when you’re
your dealing with an
ensemble of supernatural
characters able to morph
at will.
A harrowing
mindbender which
successfully blends
elements of X-Men, The
Matrix and Memento while
adding some of its own
unique sci-fi flava.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated PG-13 for
profanity, teen drinking
and intense violence.
In English and Cantonese
with subtitles.
Running time: 111
minutes
Studio: Summit
Entertainment
DVD Extras: Audio
commentary by the
director and cast,
deleted scenes with
director’s commentary
and “The Science behind
the Fiction” featurette.
To see a trailer for
Push,
visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsDWFWupyYU