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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "PUSH" (2009) (Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Moderate Extreme *Mild Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Minor Heavy None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Mild Heavy Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Sci-fi/Action: Various individuals with paranormal powers try to elude government officials who are attempting to create an enhanced variation of their kind for military purposes. PLOT: Begun by Nazi experiments in WWII attempting to achieve a perfect human weapon and then continued on by various governments over the following decades, a number of people consequently possess paranormal powers. Among them is Nick Grant (CHRIS EVANS), a second-generation "mover" who can manipulate things via telekinesis. Having fled to Hong Kong following the murder of his father a decade earlier by U.S. Government "Division" leader Henry Carver (DJIMON HOUNSOU), Nick is an American expatriate flying below the radar, trying to make money by manipulating dice games with his mind. Unfortunately, his control isn't perfected yet, but he has bigger worries when some government agents come looking for him, followed by the arrival of 13-year-old Cassie Holmes (DAKOTA FANNING). She's a "watcher" who can see into the future via her clairvoyance, although her visions -- that she continuously sketches on paper -- don't always make sense. Nevertheless, she's come to him since some involve them, a missing briefcase, and a telepathic "pusher," Kira Hudson (CAMILLA BELLE), who can put any sort of thought into another person's mind. She's the only one of their kind who's survived an experimental injection by Carver -- who's also a pusher -- designed to create a super enhanced version of their powers. It turns out she's also Nick's former girlfriend, and Carver isn't the only one after her and the missing syringe of that experimental serum. There's also an Asian syndicate that's using watcher Pop Girl (LU LU) as well as some men known as "bleeders" -- who emit pain-inducing sonic frequencies -- to try to find her. After "stitcher" Teresa Stowe (MAGGIE SIFF) heals Nick following an encounter with them, he, Cassie and Kira go on the run. With the help of Hook Waters (CLIFF CURTIS), a "shifter" who can create temporary visual illusions, "sniff" Emily Hu (MING-NA), a clairvoyant who uses her highly tuned olfactory senses to "see" things, and Pinky Stein (NATE MOONEY), a "shadow" who can obscure people from other clairvoyants as long as he's in close proximity to the person he's shielding, the unlikely trio tries to avoid those after them. That includes Carver's right-hand man and incredibly strong mover, Victor Budarin (NEIL JACKSON), all as they hope to use the coveted, serum-filled syringe to ensure the release of Cassie's long-held watcher mother. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into sci-fi based action films, are fans of the likes of "The X-Men" or "Heroes," and/or anyone in the cast, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: CHRIS EVANS plays a young man with telekinetic powers who's been trying to avoid Carver and his goons ever since they killed his father 10 years ago. Now living in Hong Kong, he tries to use his powers to alter the outcome of dice gambling, but must then contend with Cassie involving him in something much bigger. He uses profanity, presumably has sex with Kira, and uses his powers to fight various bad people. DAKOTA FANNING plays a 13-year-old who has incomplete visions of the future and recruits Nick to help her since he's ended up in those views. She dresses and tries to act older than she is (including wearing a mini-skirt), uses profanity, buys liquor and ends up drunk, and worries about what appears to be her doomed future, all while hoping to rescue her captive mother. DJIMON HOUNSOU plays a powerful pusher who experiments on Kira and then wants to find her and a missing syringe of his powerful serum when she escapes with that. Calm yet menacing, he will do anything to make that happen, including killing others. He briefly uses strong profanity, has some wine, and smokes a cigar in one scene. CAMILLA BELLE plays the young pusher who he's experimented on to create a stronger version of their kind, but she escapes and goes on the run. She must contend with becoming increasingly ill from that serum, and it's implied that she has sex with Nick, her former boyfriend. NEIL JACKSON plays Henry's right-hand man, a very powerful mover who battles Nick and others. LU LU plays the lead watcher for a powerful Asian syndicate who wants to find Kira and that experimental serum for their own uses. CLIFF CURTIS plays a shifter who creates temporary illusions, including that of fake money being real. He drinks some and assists Nick and the others with their quest. MING-NA plays a sniff who reluctantly helps Nick and the others. NATE MOONEY plays a shadow who's hired to block Kira's presence from any sniffs who might be trying to track her down. MAGGIE SIFF plays a stitcher who first heals Nick's wounds, but then reverses that in her desire to kill him for payment from the Asian syndicate. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this sci-fi based action flick that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There's brief, sexually related dialogue, while we see the beginning of a couple fooling around before implied, off-camera sex, and a young teen shows a lot of leg in her short mini-skirt. Violence includes many people being shot to death as well as all sorts of hard-hitting fights, while telekinetic powers are also used to battle as well as blast people away or into hard stationary objects, and some telepathically-induced suicides via gunshots also occur. Some of that has bloody results (although not as much as possible considering the number of deaths and hard fighting), and those scenes and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers. All of that action and other behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while all of the villains obviously have bad attitudes. Drinking occurs in several scenes, including by a 13-year-old girl who buys her own liquor on the street and ends up intoxicated after consuming the entire bottle. Some smoking is also present, as is tense family material. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that in an early scene in the film. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (sometimes a lot and/or fairly bouncy) throughout the film. There's also a spin-around camera shot later in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Teresa talks of Cassie's mother being heavily drugged (medicated) by the Division and we briefly see a view of that mother shuffling along. We see a drawing of a drink that Cassie has created from a vision. Hook has a drink in a club as do others. Cassie wants a drink, saying her mother used alcohol to clarify her visions, but Nick won't let her have any. A miscellaneous man has Emily sniff out that his wife is having an affair with a man on a large boat with drinks. 13-year-old Cassie buys liquor on the street and then arrives with the empty bottle in her hand, and she's fairly intoxicated and quickly passes out. Carver has wine in front of him. Carver has some wine in a later scene. Kira comments on a time in the past when she and Nick had bottles of Jack (presumably referring to the whiskey with that name). A waitress asks Hook if he'll have another drink, and he replies yes, one for the road. BLOOD/GORE During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there is a quick view of a bloody face. We see a needle go into Kira's arm. A gambling thug kicks Nick in the face and then chases him. We later see a little blood on Nick's face and shirt from that. After some sniffs have found him, Nick sarcastically states he has some old toilet paper for them. Nick has some blood from his ears following a loud encounter with some screaming bleeders. Teresa uses her powers to heal the cuts and scrapes on Nick's back, with movement under the skin during that process until all of the damage is gone. Kira uses her powers to put a thought in an agent's mind, and he states she needs to use the bathroom to "throw up or something." He then escorts her to a stall, but this is all subterfuge on her part. We see a planted mental flashback of an agent pummeling another agent's make-believe brother (who has a bloody face). We see some dried blood on Kira's top. Nick has a few bloody facial scrapes after battling Victor. Kira has some dried, black blood from her nose. We see a few drops of black blood in a sink from Kira. We briefly see a dead guy on the ground with some blood on his face (the result of unseen violence). Victor's face is bloody after Nick pummels him. Nick has additional bloody scrapes on his face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there is brief talk of the Nazis starting the experiments on paranormal people back in WWII to use them as weapons. There's then talk of various governments taking up where that left off, including in the U.S. where the Division is responsible for abducting and testing a super serum on unwilling participants, including Kira. When she escapes, it's up to Carver and his goons to find her, no matter the body count in doing so. Nick tries to use his telekinetic powers to control the movement of dice in some street gambling. Hook uses his powers to make ordinary paper look like real money to pay for drinks in a club. Various men refer to various women as "sweetheart" and "cupcake." We see that Teresa is in cahoots with the Asian syndicate. Carver places false memories into Kira's head about her past with Nick. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Knowing a tiger is somehow involved in her predicted demise, Cassie worries when she comes across a number of boxes with a tiger symbol on them, followed by Pop Girl holding her gun on Cassie. But just then, an older man grabs Pop Girl by the head (to wipe her memory) and she collapses to the floor. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there are various split-second images of bombs dropping, other explosions, etc. We see a handgun in Nick's dresser drawer. Cassie holds a gun on Teresa. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Sh*t-hole," "Bullsh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "You look like sh*t," "Go to hell," "Get the hell out of my head," "Lame," "Shut up," "What the hell are you doing here?" "You know this psycho?" "Relax, Romeo," "Chicky-chicky" and "Sweetheart" and "Cupcake" (for women). The fighting, stunts and other action might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Various characters have various styles of tattoos (in several scenes). Cassie has some streaks of color in her hair. We see miscellaneous graffiti. 13-year-old Cassie buys liquor on the street and then arrives with the empty bottle in her hand, and she's fairly intoxicated. JUMP SCENES We see a needle go into Kira's arm. She then appears to die, but then suddenly comes back to life. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of action-oriented and some suspenseful/ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 7 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("screwing"), 5 variations of crap, 3 hells, 2 damns, and 1 use each of "Christ" and "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there are various split-second images of shirtless men and possibly a side view of the bare butt of an emaciated man. After Kira has planted a false memory in an agent's mind that resulted in him shooting his partner, Carver sarcastically says he doesn't want to be shot in the face for "screwing" some made-up sister that the agent doesn't really have. Pinky leaves the room, suggesting he knows what's going to happen next. Nick then goes into the bathroom where Kira kisses him. He grabs her clothed butt and then uses his powers to close the door. The scene ends there, but sex is implied. Just 13, Cassie wears a fairly short mini-skirt that shows a lot of upper leg in several scenes. Kira shows some cleavage. SMOKING There's a brief flashback to Nick smoking, while Carver smokes a cigar in one scene, Teresa smokes twice, and some miscellaneous characters smoke (cigarettes, one a pipe) in several scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES There's a prologue from 10 years ago where young Nick is told by his dad to hide, all as we see armed agents coming their way. The boy does, hears gunfire, and we see two bodies blast out from a door against the opposite wall. In a later return view of this same scene, a full body bag is carried out (with Nick's dad presumably in that). In voice-over narration, Cassie comments on the Division taking her mom away from her. Hook mentions his wife dying in the past in a car accident, implying that was the work of the Division. A miscellaneous man has Emily sniff out that his wife is having an affair with a man on a large boat with drinks. Pop Girl's father, the head of the syndicate, slaps her hard when she announces she's lost her view of the future. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there is brief talk of the Nazis starting the experiments on paranormal people back in WWII to use them as weapons. The notion of paranormal powers. The question of whether the future is set or is always evolving. VIOLENCE There's a prologue from 10 years ago where young Nick is told by his dad to hide, all as we see armed agents coming their way. The boy does, hears gunfire, and we see two bodies blast out from a door against the opposite wall. In a later return view of this same scene, a full body bag is carried out (with Nick's dad presumably in that). During the opening credits (and in archival type footage), there are various split-second images of testing and experiments on people with paranormal powers, as well as similarly quick footage of bombs dropping, other explosions, a quick view of a bloody face, etc. We see a needle go into Kira's arm. She then appears to die, but then suddenly comes back to life, hits one researcher, and then flees. A gambling thug kicks Nick in the face and then chases him. We later see a little blood on Nick's face and shirt from that. Pop Girl holds a gun on Cassie. The latter throws something that hits her, with Pop Girl's gun firing off to the side, and Nick uses his powers to blast two men back. He and Cassie then try to flee, all as several bleeders let out loud, high-pitched screams that shatter glass all around them. Large fish market tanks then burst and wash the two off their feet, with the bleeders continuing their screaming that causes intense pain for Nick and Cassie, and blood from his ears. We see a flashback to the above hallway incident where two people are blasted out and against a wall. Some agents grab Kira on the street and abduct her. We see a planted mental flashback of an agent pummeling another agent's make-believe brother (who has a bloody face). As a result, the affected agent walks up to his partner and shoots him dead (no blood). That agent then goes looking for Kira and the two fight (with brutal blows delivered by both sides) in a public restroom where she eventually and repeatedly strikes him with a "wet floor" sign. Carver uses his powers to plant the idea of suicide in an agent's mind. That man then puts his handgun in his own mouth and pulls the trigger. The body drops, but we don't see any blood. Kira shoots at Nick several times until he tells her to stop. Nick goes to see Carver and floats two handguns through the air and over to Carver and Victor, with those guns then aimed at their heads. After Carver psyches out Nick, the latter blasts Victor backwards. That pusher then fires one of those floating guns at Nick who shoots back at him, but Victor uses his powers like a force field to block those shots. The two then get into a gun battle, and Victor's floating gun arrives at Nick's head, but is empty when it fires again. Victor then "throws" that gun at Nick, hitting him on the head. When Nick tries to flee, Victor uses something to trip Nick, has his powers drag him back across the floor, and then blasts him back and forth against walls before smashing and then holding him hard against the ceiling. When Carver finally has him stop, Victor releases Nick and the latter falls hard to the floor (we don't see the impact). Pop Girl's father, the head of the syndicate, slaps her hard when she announces she's lost her view of the future. An older woman shoots at Hook, but then lets him retrieve the briefcase he wants. Teresa touches Nick and reverses her healing of him, causing him intense pain. She then plans to make him suffer for a long time, but he uses his power to hold a gun to her head, and we later see her tied to a chair (and Nick is fine). Knowing a tiger is somehow involved in her predicted demise, Cassie worries when she comes across a number of boxes with a tiger symbol on them, followed by Pop Girl holding her gun on Cassie. But just then, an older man grabs Pop Girl by the head (to wipe her memory) and she collapses to the floor. We briefly see a dead guy on the ground with some blood on his face (the result of unseen violence). Victor hits Nick, throws him into a car trunk, and punches him again (we don't see the latter impact). The Asian syndicate men hold their guns on Carver, Victor and Kira. As Carver and Kira run for cover, Victor stands and battles those men, with his force field of sorts blocking bullets from their handguns and machine guns, while he uses his telekinesis to blast many of them backwards and away (two of them fall a long way and smash into a car). During this, Carver shoots several, as does Nick when he arrives on the scene. Victor then uses his powers to blast Nick down some stairs and then drag him across the floor. He then blasts more away, followed by Nick punching him hard. The two then fight with hard punches to the face and body (some softened by the force fields they use), but Nick gets the upper hand, pummeling Victor's face (which is bloody). Just then, a bleeder lets out a scream that causes both of them intense pain, but Victor uses his powers to send a rod through the bleeder's neck, killing him (no blood). Another then lets loose with the sound, but Nick uses his powers to cause the scaffolding he's on to collapse, presumably killing that man (no blood). Carver uses his mind control to cause two men to shoot each other, while Kira controls a small contingent of men and uses them to shoot various other villains. Carver punches and kicks Nick, but Nick then punches him hard in the face. Nick injects himself with a syringe, experiences pain and appears to die from that, but is later okay. We hear the sound of a gunshot after Kira apparently uses her powers to cause a man to commit suicide, but we don't see the act. Reviewed February 4, 2009 / Posted February 6, 2009

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