Jumper [Blu-ray]

 

 

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For the generation that won't wait for anything, the teleporting protagonists of Jumper may have more appeal than the likes of Spiderman and Wolverine. If you skip ads, sneak a peek at the last chapter of a book, have ever wanted to fast forward through a boring flight, or truncate the dull commute to work, it may be your fantasies that Hayden Christensen is living in Bourne director Doug Liman's globe-trotting sci-fi outing.

Not content with such mundane shortcuts, gadabout Christensen is disposed to good living - financed by teleporting away the contents of bank - in a New York penthouse; he breakfasts on top of the Sphinx, checks out London from the clock-face of Big Ben before going on the pull, and flits in and out of a series of holiday hot-spot locations that resemble a fast flick through a travel-agent's plushest brochure. But one day jumper-hunter Samuel L. Jackson - wearing the daftest hairpiece since Morgan Freeman impersonated R. Lee Ermey in Dreamcatcher - is waiting for him with a wake-up call. Jackson is a Paladin, a sect that has been hunting those Godless teleporters since at least the middle-ages, though the invention of electricity has given them the ability to pin the fidgety globetrotters down while they run them through with a nasty hunting-knife.

Jumper had a lot of potential and it was a frustrating film. It's beautifully shot, with an intriguing premise, and a great performance from Samuel L. Jackson. Unfortunately, it's also got some cringe worthy dialog, distractingly large plot holes, and a zero charisma female lead in Rachel Bilson. The film looks great, featuring some jaw-dropping location photography, but the plot is a hodgepodge of underdeveloped elements. Diane Lane gets third billing for about five minutes of screen time in a throwaway role with absolutely no payoff. Jamie Bell, easily the best of the cast aside from Jackson, crafts a far more interesting character than lead Hayden Christensen, yet the script (credited to three different writers) regulates him to little more than a plot device. Worst of all is Rachel Bilson's character, who seems like an afterthought at best. The script's paper-thin characterization forces her to flesh out her role with sheer charisma, and, unlike Jackson, she's just not up to it.

There are moments, more than a few, in fact, where Jumper gets it right. The opening sequence, leading up to Christensen's character's discovery of his powers it spot-on, as are just about every one of Jackson's scenes, but these only serve to build false hope. This is a movie in search of an identity. Is it a super-hero movie? A romance? A sci-fi epic? Jumper feels like a movie made by a committee hell-bent on creating a franchise and that, ultimately, proves to be its undoing. Much as Jackson's character is fond of saying that no man should be all places at all times; no movie should be all things to all people. Bottom Line: Jumper is an unfortunate mess of a movie that wastes some beautiful photography and a great performance by Samuel L. Jackson.

this movie has an interesting concept,but i think they could have done
more with it.i just didn't find it very substantive.the acting is
fine,considering what the actors had to work with.but aside from the
premise,i found the movie kind of mundane,ordinary.i think this movie
would have worked better if it had been a sequel.a prequel(rather than
a sequel)would certainly be interesting,and hopefully answer some
questions.one good thing about the movie is that the visual effects
didn't overpower the movie.i just wish the story had been better.i did
find the movie entertaining,just not as much as i has hoped.for
me,Jumper is a 3/5

The gorgeous locations are fab on blu-ray (including THE colliseum!), and jumping is a cool concept, but there are many missed opportunities here. It should have been a great film, or at least better. The action / jumping sequences are well-edited, but the preliminary story set-up could have used more care. Too bad - the production complexities had to require significant pre-planning - if only the script had more heart. Actors Christensen, Bell & Jackson are well-utilized but others like Diane Lane, unfortunately, not so much. The 'behind the scenes' extras are good. 2.5 - 3 stars for great use of locations and editing.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Has Potential for a Franchise
When a teenage nerd discovers he has the ability to instantly teleport himself anywhere in the world with just a thought, he uses this gift to escape from a troubled life... Read more

Published on Dec 12 2008 by Greg Curtis

3.0 out of 5 stars The first of three planned movies
Running David (Max Thieriot) loves little Millie (AnnaSophia Robb) with a love that couldn't die. He couldn't swim the raging river; but he leaned how to jump. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2008 by bernie

3.0 out of 5 stars Jumpers is cheesy fun
This movie involves a select group of people who can "jump" from one place to another within the flash of an eye. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2008 by Matthew King

4.0 out of 5 stars Le pouvoir que tout homme rêve d'avoir !
Imaginez vous, vous êtes un "looser" au secondaire, comme bien des gens, comme tout le monde selon lui... Read more

Published on Jun 11 2008 by Vladyk Barnes

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