Samuel L. Jackson hunting after a JUMPER(2008).
© 20th Century Fox

Mania Grade: C+
DVD: Jumper (2-Disc Special Edition)
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell
Written By: David S. Goyer, Steven Gould
Directed By: Doug Liman
Original Year of Release: 2008
Extras: Audio Commentary, deleted scenes, five featurettes, animated graphic novel

Buy it now!

Related Links

0

JUMPER (2-Disc Special Edition)

You can keep your super strength, speed and flying…teleportation, now THAT is a super power! The ability to transport yourself to any location on the globe in a blink of an eye; what can beat that? David Rice is a normal but shy 15 year old, the victim of bullies at school and an abusive father (Michael Rooker) at home. His life changes the day he finds he has the ability to teleport. David does exactly what you should do if you had this ability; he jumps into a bank vault and makes off with a boatload of cash, leaving the authorities puzzles. Either years later, the now adult David (Christensen) is living the good life in a posh New York apartment when his life again is turned upside down, this time by a mysterious man named Roland (Jackson) who shows up at his apartment and tries to kill him.

He flees back to the safety of the Michigan town where he grew up and to the girl he loved as a teenager, Millie (Rachel Bilson). The pair go on a trip to Italy where David is attacked again in the Roman Coliseum byt men who use electrical weapons that can negate his ability. David also meets Griffin, another young man with the power to teleport. He learns that the people hunting them are called Paladins and they’ve been hunting down and killing Jumpers for centuries. David and Griffin begin a worldwide game of tag as they try to elude Roland and the other Paladins while David tries to protect Millie.

Jumper is filled with some dazzling sites as David Jumps to the face of London’s Big Ben as well as to the head of the Great Sphinx in Egypt. The effect of the jumps was done very well. At first, David’s jumps are accompanied by a great deal of noise and commotion but as he refines his power he simply whooshes like the wind. There’s a humorous sequence where he is watching TV and rather than reach his arm a bit to grab sometime, he teleports over a foot to get it. Unfortunately most of the film isn’t quite as fun or clever. Once you get past the thrill of the Jumpers power to go literally everywhere you’re stuck with a plot that is filled with holes and characters with little development.

Why do Paladins hunt Jumpers? Who are these Paladins? Evidently they’ve been fighting for centuries and the best reason that was given is that Jumpers always go bad. Then there is the fact that David disappeared and was believed dead for eight years. He shows up at the bar where Millie works and she runs off to Italy with him that afternoon. I’ve been to bars in Ann Arbor…the women there are NOT that easy! There is a subplot involving David and his Mother (Diane Lane) that goes completely unresolved. And just why does electricity negate the Jumpers power? It just DOES! Maybe the main problem with Jumper is we really don’t know who to root for. The Paladins are made out to be the bad guys and yet if Jumpers are using their powers to rob banks and such, shouldn’t they be hunted down?

Samuel L. Jackson is a fine actor but he’s played so many of these menacing type roles that he’s becoming a bit of a caricature. Hayden Christensen brings little charisma to his role. His wooden narration is just as bland. Only Jamie Bell manages to turn in an above average performance as Griffin, the Englishman who has been hunting Paladins down on his own. The film would have benefited from about 15 more minutes of runtime to further develop the plot and characters. As it is, the end was left open for a sequel, which is being considered.

The Two Disc edition comes with some nice extras including:

Audio commentary with Director Doug Liman, Writer/Producer Simon Kinberg and Producer Lucas Foster

Jumping From Novel To Film: The Past, Present & Future of Jumper Featurette

Previz: Future Concepts

Doug Liman’s Jumper: Uncensored Featurette