Don’t ‘Jump’ into this movie
‘Jumper' is all looks but no logic
Posted on February 21, 2008
Many people would like to have a super power of some kind, whether it is used for good or for evil. Flying, freezing things or mind reading would make us all god-like among the human race. The ability to jump from one place to another would also be a pretty cool idea, but trying to make a movie out of it, like “Jumper,” just doesn’t seem to work as good as it should.
At a young age David Rice fell into an ice covered lake and almost drowned. What saved his life and then ultimately changed it was the fact that he found out he was a jumper, meaning he has the ability to be anywhere at anytime. But with great power comes great responsibility…oops, sorry wrong movie. Having this particular power attracts a cult-like group, the Paladins, which is willing to kill anyone that has the ability to jump. David must now stay one step ahead of the Paladins in order to save his loved ones and himself from danger.
From veteran action director Doug Liman (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) comes this new addition to the special effects genre of action movies. Starring in the man role of David Rice is Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars”). His inability to deliver a line with a sense of emotion really drags down the movie. Hollywood main man Samuel L. Jackson — sporting a brand new white hairdo — has to come in and make up for the lack of decent acting with the role of Roland, the head man behind the Paladins.
The story itself is very simple. He can jump here and then there and then back here again. That’s basically it. He has the Paladins chasing him and his new girlfriend Millie (played by Rachel Bilson, “The O.C.”) but there never really seems to be much danger involved. How can someone catch you when you can be everywhere at once? That part of the story makes no sense, so that’s probablywhy they brought in Jackson.
The most impressive, or really the only impressive, part is the special effects. The jumping looks awesome and all the places they jump to are also really cool. Going from New York to London and to Egypt within the same hour is a pretty sweet ability. Great cinematography, special effects and a cool idea make this film watchable, but the lack of a compelling story and mediocre acting makes it not worth bragging about to your friends.
