Jumper [2008]

RRP £19.99 Lowest New Price £11.74

Suitable for 15 years and over 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Release date: Monday 16th of June 2008 Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Director(s): Format: Colour, PAL, Region code: 2 Running time: 84 minutes Language: English (Original Language)

RRP: £19.99
Editorial
Amazon.com

As preposterous action movies go, Jumper is pleasantly unpretentious and breezily entertaining. A young man named David (Hayden Christensen) discovers he has the power to teleport (or "jump") anywhere he can visualize. After using this power to steal and make a comfortable life for himself, he pursues the girl he longed for in school (Rachel Bilson, The O. C.). But as he does so, another jumper (Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot) and a pack of fanatical jumper-hunters called paladins (led by a white-haired Samuel L. Jackson) crashes into David's freewheeling life. Jumper wastes no time trying to explain how jumping works or delving into the hows and whys of the paladins; this is an alluring fantasy of power directed at a pell-mell pace by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Go). There's a brief moment when it feels like the movie will bog down in romance and vague gestures towards character development--happily, that's the moment when Bell appears and the whole movie shifts into overdrive. You might wish that Bell and Christensen had swapped roles; Bell has a far more engaging personality, and Christensen's bland good looks might better suit a more aggressive character. Nonetheless, Jumper has oodles of dynamism and nifty visual effects to propel its comic-book storyline forward. A variety of recognizable actors in bit parts (such as Diane Lane and Kristen Stewart, Panic Room) suggest that the filmmakers are laying the groundwork for sequels. Based on a critically-acclaimed science-fiction novel by Steven Gould. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

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Editorial
Synopsis

Based on Steven Gould's critically acclaimed novel, JUMPER leaps onto the screen courtesy of director Doug Liman. David (Hayden Christiansen, STAR WARS – EPISODE 3 – REVENGE OF THE SITH) has inexplicably been given the power to teleport himself, or jump. He can jump into a bank vault, then to the top of the Sphinx, then back to his luxury Manhattan apartment. But despite all his power, he still misses his childhood love, Millie (Rachel Bilson, THE O.C.). When the opportunity arises, David jets off to Rome with Millie, but it's not all romance in the Italian city. David's unique abilities place him in the middle of a war between the jumpers and the paladins, a secretive group intent on hunting down the teleporters. Led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), the paladins track David and fellow jumper Griffin (Jamie Bell) across the world, and Millie may be caught in the crossfire.
JUMPER moves as fast as its teleporting hero, condensing the novel into a slim, action-packed offering. The slick special effects and impressive locations are certainly on par with Liman's previous work in THE BOURNE IDENTITY and MR. AND MRS. SMITH, but JUMPER bears a closer resemblance to comic book adaptations. Like most comic book protagonists with unearthly abilities, David grapples with his newfound talents. But unlike his tights-and-cape-wearing brethren, David doesn't use his ability for the greater good. Instead, it gets him piles of money and, perhaps, the girl he's been dreaming of since he was five years old. Though most action films are driven by the struggle between good and evil, JUMPER interestingly offers up a central character who lies somewhere in the middle.

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4 stars if it had been a TV pilot, 2 stars as a stand alone movie
Review date: 2008-08-20 Rating: 4 out of 10

An interesting story, brought together by interesting talent, falls oddly short of expectations in this action movie with fantasy elements.
The stall is set out early, as an intro shows Hayden Christensen discovering his ability to teleport (jump) from place to place. He indulges himself with his ability, leaving behind the love of his teen life and living in style, until he meets another Jumper, played by Jamie Bell. They are tracked by the Paladin, a secret group led by Samuel Jackson who are hell bent on destroying Jumpers. And that's really about it - and I don't mean that I am saving the rest of the plot to avoid writing spoilers - that really is about it, it really devolves into a `does-he-get-the-girl' movie at this point, winding up after a scant 84 minutes, seemingly in the middle of the story. Why do the Paladin want to destroy Jumpers? Will Christensen achieve his stated goal of destroying the oddly coiffured Jackson character? What makes the Jumpers what they are? How many are there? Will Christensen's character ever come out of his permanent sulk? All remain unanswered - presumably for the inevitable sequel.
Hayden Christensen does little here to dispel notions that his acting is on a par with your nearest oak tree, but Jamie Bell is interestingly edgy and has the benefit of the films few humorous moments. Bilson looks terrific of course but really has little to do once the special effects starts, and Jackson is really only going through the motions. None of this really matters with such thinly drawn characters, and the director smooths over the cracks with his efficient action scenes. The movie does crackle along with innovative set pieces which pique the interest, ultimately however leaving you all the more unfulfilled at the (partly literally) cliffhanger ending.
Overall, you're left with the feeling that as much as there is to like, this would have been much better edited down to a 20 minute introduction to a much more interesting and complex film. Wait for the next movie and watch it as a double bill.

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