David Rice (Hayden Christensen) is able to teleport anywhere he likes, whenever he likes. He can rob banks in a flash, sunbathe on top of a Sphinx in the middle of the desert - pretty much whatever he darn well chooses.
That's right up until sinister Roland Cox (Samuel L Jackson) arrives to reveal Rice is actually part of a centuries old race of genetic abnormalities, or �Jumpers�, and that their life of money, sun and no consequence fun, is about to come to an abrupt end.
Co-starring The OC�s Rachel Bilson and Billy Elliot himself, Jamie Bell, Jumper is a new sci-fi action thriller from consistently sharp director Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity) and, as far as we can tell, has nothing to do with long sleeved over garments.
They say:
Variety: "Slick but extremely slim."
Empire: "Packs some cracking action into its brief running time and lays foundations on which a great franchise could be built."
Total Film: "Invigorating, grin inducing cine-frappe, cool and refreshing."
We say:
It�s Doug Liman who made Jumper so hotly anticipated, not the daft sounding science fiction plot, on set stills of Rachel Bilson copping off with Darth Vader (that�s Christensen) and certainly not Samuel L Jackson with a tuft of snow white hair.
In actuality, if Liman had not already sent Bourne on his Biro stabbing way as the best action franchise since sixties era James Bond, on paper this project stinks like rotten eggs.
And rightly so. This is a rushed, hollow muddle with only vibrant splashes of action and Jamie Bell to recommend it. Liman got so caught up in the whole �jumping� visual, he forgot the rest of the film entirely. The producers must have been surprised when he turned in a feature length edition of The Travel Show. "Can�t we just swap Hayden for Judith Charmers and save a million?" they probably asked.
At its core, Jumper is a Bourne rehash for teenagers. The silly story might work for those who adore uber hyped TV series Heroes, but for anyone over legal drinking age, Hayden Christensen dressed in a trendy jacket teleporting a building(!) from one side of the country to the other is just bloody stupid.
The whole script is dreadfully cliched, stemming from the superfluous voiceover to the oh so troubled youth protagonist (think Spiderman without the Spandex). Writers David S Goyer and Jim Uhls must have sent in their first draft and sat back laughing.
With a concept this nutty, there needs to be explanation. Teleportation is obviously impossible, but couldn�t Goyer and Uhls have filled in the gaps with a bit of creative licence? We need to know that it might be possible, or else sci-fi becomes fantasy and that is a whole other genre entirely.
Do not think the sexy starry cast help much either. Christensen has the personality of a strip of Perspex, Samuel L Jackson merely sneers curmudgeonly and Rachel Bilson plays her entire emaciated appearance as an audition tape for Angelina Jolie: The Movie. Jamie Bell�s gruffness hits the spot (even dressed as a forty year old roadie), though he has nothing much to say or do.
The final shot of Jackson�s character best sums up Jumper�s shortcomings. You half expect him to utter "Aw, shucks!" before his denouement. At this point the film has veered so far into B movie territory it might as well be 1987, star C Thomas Howell and sit on your local video store shelf next to Masters of the Universe.
Cast aside some poor guy shackled to a tree getting stabbed in the stomach and Jumper offers no surprises other than how bad it is.
Extras:
Seemingly ordinary for the one disc edition: making of docs, deleted scenes, commentary by director Liman and his writing/ producing team - though actually the cutting room footage is above average stuff.
A psychology angle is introduced in one scene and Jackson gets a snippet of back story that would have sneakily set up a franchise sequel (if they dispense with his character) in another. Plus there is a puzzling pre-treated effects shot that might just freak you out.
Watching the movie again however and DVD does it no favours - the plot seems even more bananas than ever. What a waste.
CAST
Hayden Christensen
Samuel L Jackson
Rachel Bilson
Jamie Bell
DIRECTOR
Doug Liman
TIME
88 mins
POSTED...
Fri 15 Feb at 8:55pm
