Jumper (2008)
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

The Action Hit Of The Year Is A Global Phenomenon!

From the director of The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith comes the evolution of extreme - a high-powered shot of adrenaline that stretches the very limits of imagination. Next stop: Anywhere! David Rice is a young man who knows no boundaries - a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to any place on Earth. When he discovers others like himself, David is thrust into the midst of an ancient war while being hunted by a bloodthirsty band of zealots sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, David's extraordinary gift may be his only hope for survival!

Stunning effects, swooping camera angles, and an interesting concept more than make up for the film's defects - namely Hayden Christensen - reprising the gloomy, wounded, misunderstood, petulant anti-hero role he played so ineffectively in the Star Wars prequels.

While the pacing and energy of the film keeps you glued to your seat, it is only on reflection that I realised how unsatisfying the story ultimately was - leaving me with an "is that all?" kind of feeling. The answer, of course, will probably be 'No' as this film seems to have been made with the idea of sequels firmly in sight.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, June 9, 2008 Only God should have the power to be all places at all times.

Do you know those movies that look good in the trailer, but the trailer shows you most of the best parts, and in reality the movie itself stinks, as do said intriguing trailer moments in the context of the whole movie? That's what we have here, unfortunately. Jumper has solidified itself as one of my most memorable movie disappointments in quite some time. The trailer had me intrigued, and the subject material, ideas, and themes introduced in the movie are undeniably fascinating. Unfortunately, I was completely let down by the movie's slow pacing, haphazard storytelling, bad acting, meandering plot, and forgettable characters (I cannot even remember their names, except for "Millie," and only because we hear it about 80 times in 80 minutes). The idea is good enough that my interest in the novel this movie is based on (written by Steven Gould) has been piqued, but my interest in this film and the sequel it so plainly sets the audience up for at the end has plummeted. Who knows, maybe Jumper 2, if it ever comes to fruition, will be better than this, and the open-ended finale to the film leads me to believe that it could be good, if done right.

David Rice (Hayden Christensen, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) has the seemingly unique ability to teleport himself instantly anywhere in the world, and at any time. He first discovered this talent while drowning in icy water one day after school in front of his crush, Millie (played by AnnaSophia Robb, Bridge to Terabithia in this segment). One moment, he was near death, and the next, he found himself in the stacks at the Ann Arbor public library. Years later, his talent mastered, David lives the high life off of the easy money he's accumulated by jumping into and emptying bank vaults the world over. Upon returning home one day, David finds a man named Roland (Samuel L. Jackson, Unbreakable) in his apartment, armed with a weapon specially made to counter Jumpers and their ability. David escapes the clutches of this man who says he's been searching for David for eight years, and rekindles his relationship with Millie (now portrayed by Rachel Bilson, TV's "The O.C.") after a surprise return into her life. Traveling to Rome with Millie, David meets Griffin (Jamie Bell, Flags of Our Fathers), another Jumper who (finally!) lets us in on the backstory and explains the premise of the film, that being a centuries-old war between Jumpers and "Paladins," those who would kill Jumpers on religious grounds. David and Griffin must work together to stay alive, keep Millie safe, and learn the deeper secrets of the Paladins, and of Roland in particular.

Among other things, the putrid acting of everyone in the film, save for Jamie Bell who was not great by any stretch, but at least passable, proves to be one of Jumper's many downfalls. Hayden Christinsen, unfortunately, has shown us that Star Wars was no fluke: he really is this stiff and uninteresting of an actor. He delivers his lines with a nonchalance that redefines "going through the motions" or "cashing his check," both of which also apply to the venerable (and white haired) Samuel L. Jackson. I really don't get it when it comes to Jackson. He's one of the finest actors around, yet recently, filmmakers have decided he needs something extra, a gimmick, if you will, to make sure we notice his presence. In XXX it was his badly scarred face. Here, it's his snow-white hair that looks completely ridiculous and serves no discernible purpose. Oh, he also has a long scar running down his face. I have no doubt that actress Rachel Bilson is right now in line auditioning for the next loser of a horror movie, probably something along the lines of Two Missed Calls or Do You Remember That One Summer Where I Knew What You Did? She'll fit right in as the interchangeable, forgettable, brainless, and "oh my God!" uttering teen (even though she's in he late 20's according to her IMDb page).

On a more positive note, Jumper represents an incredibly interesting concept that works on paper, in theory, and even in our own imaginations as we long not only for the ability to jump, but also for a coherent, entertaining movie. It takes too long to really get going, even with the film's short runtime. We can only watch David jump and wish we could do the same so many times before boredom strikes and we can only imagine that jumping into a war zone, or shark-infested waters, or a burning building might be more entertaining than this. In fact, and sadly, the movie gets stale early on and never manages to recover, despite a final act that is far superior to the first two. If this were real life and we were involved in what was happening on-screen, it would be fascinating, but as a movie, at least as presented here, it doesn't work. Director Doug Liman has some decent-to-good work under his belt (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity, and Swingers), but his stale, lifeless direction coupled with a script marred with plot holes and unresolved questions (even taking into consideration the potential sequel) that takes far too long to get going and lets us in on what the crux of the plot will be makes for a disappointing movie that, even at 88 minutes, couldn't be over soon enough.

I don't ask much of movies like Jumper. That they be entertaining, concise, coherent, action-packed, and imaginative doesn't seem all that tall an order for a big-budget Hollywood sci-fi/action extravaganza. Unfortunately, Jumper fails at all of these, except, perhaps, for "concise," but then again, even at a sub-90 minute runtime, the movie offers far too little of the other factors to truly be concise. It is a hodgepodge of ideas where several "cool" scenes ("car jumping" through the streets of Tokyo in a stolen Mercedes, anyone?) fail to carry the entirety of the movie. Few movies have disappointed me as much as Jumper, and the more I think about it, the more I regret having seen it and the more disillusioned I become. As always, however, Fox has provided fans a first-rate Blu-ray disc. With excellent audio and video quality, not to mention a healthy serving of supplements, the disc itself, based on its technical merits alone, is worth looking into. I have jumped to the conclusion that Jumper is C-grade material in the guise of an A-list movie, all packed into a head-of-the-class Blu-ray disc. Recommended only for the staunchest of fans.

[CSW] -3- Jumper is a collection of currently popular sci-fi movie themes: super powers, underground societies, exotic locations and high-tech gadgetry. The familiarity does seem a bit manufactured but is excusable however as the movie looks and feels great. And the story itself, after a slightly clunky start, eventually finds it's footing. The pacing is also relatively quick and before the teleportation starts to feel like gimmick, the focus of the movie changes and the story gets deeper. Some audiences may find the whole "Paladin" underground aspects a bit glossy but I could buy this as much as the teleportation theme. However I did find that the wooden lead character, Hayden Christensen, to be hardly endearing; a weasel-like non-hero whose choices in life are, at times, inexplicable. And the film isn't likely good enough to attract fans outside the genre themes. I also found the ending a bit abrupt, leaving questions likely designed for possible sequels. But overall I'm a sucker for these themes (and Samuel Jackson) so this was a good fit for me.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box-8.0/10

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