Push, the paranormal thriller opening Friday, casts Dakota Fanning as a clairvoyant "watcher" on the run from The Division, a sinister organization intent on harnessing psychic power in order to rule the world. Sounds implausible but, in fact, Push is grounded in historical precedent.
As noted in the Push promo clip above, Hitler developed a psychic warrior program in the '40s, followed by Cold War mind games by both Russia and the United States. As part of its notorious Project MK-Ultra mind-control initiative, CIA operatives secretly dosed subjects with LSD. Several unsuspecting victims went mad or committed suicide.
Push pushes the premise more than a little with gunfights between "mover" Nick Gant (played by Chris Evans, of Fantastic Four fame), who practices telekinesis to ward off evil-doers. It's nothing we haven't already seen a few dozen times from mind-over-matter villain Sylar on NBC's Heroes, but director Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) at least gets a broad canvas for his bodies-flying-through-air action scenes.
Blowback: Do you buy the Push premise? Or should Fanning just be thankful her 10-on-a-scale-of-10 movie Coraline is also opening this weekend? Weigh in below.
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