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4 out of 5 stars

Good, fun movie April 24, 2008
71 out of 79 found this review helpful

I went to see Jumper with some of my family when it was released, and I have to say I enjoyed it very much. I've liked Hayden Christensen since I saw "Life as a House," and Samuel L. just rips up a villain role like nobody's business. The special effects were very well done and I was delighted to find that the main storyline they implied in the commercials is NOT what happened! Sure, the main character can teleport, but the rest.... The movie is billed as scifi/thriller type, but that's a bit misleading. This is more like the Highlander films, a fantasy element in the real world.

The movie was pretty fast paced with only a couple slower moments, and the character's self-exploration once he discovers the ability was almost as good as Peter Parker's in the first Spider-Man movie. Actually, in one way it was better. Peter uses his power to win a wrestling match and then jumps right into the hero role. Our similarly-aged jumper, however, jumps right into a bank vault, and a store, and...! *grin* He really is an ordinary person with an extraordinary ability. He used his ability for theft, but also for taking his surfboard to Fiji for the best waves. I liked the movie enough that I quickly ordered the book. They are COMPLETELY different, but both good for different reasons. The movie added a opposing force for jumpers (i.e. a "villain") whereas in the book, David mostly battles his own inner demons (with a lot of introspection). Plus, the very cool character of Griffin was completely made-up for the film. His character adds great action while giving viewers another jumper to identify with besides David. Though the movie had closure, they left it wide open for a sequel that I really hope gets made.

I think some viewers were overly critical of this film. It's not going to win any oscars, but I was entertained and that's the most important criteria.

As to the DVD itself, I have to say, do NOT buy the 2-disc edition. The second disk contains only a digital copy. All the extras are on disc one, which the regular edition has! I really wish the product description had been more clear on this. I wouldn't have paid the additional $6 for a digital copy which you have to use a keycode to transfer. The code is located on a card in the case, but it clearly states to be careful not to lose it. Also, the outer sleeve has a holographic image of the cover art that is glued to the front of the sleeve. I don't see it lasting long. Finally, once again the studio includes ads in the case, but no insert with chapter index and extra features.

The extra features were pretty standard. There's commentary, making of, interviews with the authors/producer etc, book to film featurette, and some deleted scenes (all of which I felt were rightly cut from the film). The interviews were interesting sinc ethey touched on how the producer obviously changed the book, and how the author felt. Nothing spectacular here, but for a single disc edition these were perfectly fine - and far more than they offered with "the Bourne Ultimatium".

2 out of 5 stars

Anakin Skywalker has a new force to play with . . . February 27, 2008
51 out of 83 found this review helpful

in this incomprehensible piece of nonsense that is fun at times, but never engaging.

The plot, such as it is, is about people who can teleport themselves just by thinking about a place. This idea is fresh and clever and filmed with terrific special effects, but the film as a whole is executed so moronically that a great idea is totally wasted. Hayden Christensen, the lead jumper and Anakin Skywalker in those Star Wars prequels, continues to amaze me with his extraordinary lack of acting ability. To call him wooden would be a compliment at this point. Ironically, he thinks (acts?) as if he is enchanting somehow. In any event, after a life of rejections with his mom, Diane Lane, skipping out on him when he was five and an abusive alcoholic father, Michael Rooker, and the ever overplayed tortured high school experiences where he's treated as a freak, Christensen takes to a life of robbing banks by misusing his "gift" of teleporting (aka "jumping") and living off the grid as much as possible.

Samuel L. Jackson, do I really need to list his credits here, also offers a rather wooden or "phone in" performance as Roland who never gives us a solid reason to latch onto as to why he hates jumpers. Yeah, he says it's because they all go bad at some point and that only God should be in all places, but those reasons ring hollow and don't explain his intense hatred for the jumpers. He eventually catches up with Christensen's character who must, in order to beat Roland, join forces with another jumper, well-played by Jamie Bell, who is much wiser than he, better with his ability, but extremely anti-social. Bell role is the most interesting and engaging character in the whole film. Heck, I can't even recall the subplot with Christensen's "love interest" in the film. It's that flat and uninteresting.

This film is definitely dedicated to the A.D.D. generation as things move quickly, but don't add up. There are far too many holes in the plot. To say this movie is shallow is like saying the desert can be a little dry. I gave it two stars because the concept was fresh and clever, the effects are fun and different, the dialogue had some witty moments, and the film was mercifully short. It's what many call mindless entertainment, but entertaining nevertheless. My family and I had some fun with this movie. We knew we weren't seeing Shakespeare or anything, therefore, our expectations were low enough that we really didn't leave the theater disappointed. We kinda got what we expected.

Scary Final Note: The book is one in a series. Now, that sends chills up my spine more than anything this film attempted to deliver.

1 out of 5 stars

A Film About As Creative As A Fast Food Restaurant! February 18, 2008
23 out of 38 found this review helpful

It's too bad that a law is not passed in the United States allowing you to get a full ticket refund if you walk out of the theater after watching 50% or less of a movie. A bell could ring or light could flash for a second to remind the patrons of a last call for a refund! If a system like this was in place in the United States, I guarantee you - rotten, boring trash like Jumper would never, ever be made! Half the theater would have emptied out in a heartbeat! This film is so incredibly vapid and mind-numbingly dull it genuinely insults the intelligence of the movie going audience!!

I realize movies actors need to make a living! But big stars like Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson should be ashamed of themselves - they can pick and choose their projects. Memo to Their Hollywood Agents: You are ruining their careers! If dreary, campy films are all you can find for them to work on then maybe you shouldn't be in the movie star agent business!

There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this godforsaken, awful story! The good guys teleport (A mutant power rip-off from the X-men). The bad guys are religious nuts that kill the teleporters in cold blood because "only God should have this power." Simple as that! Each group tries to kill the other. The good guys are all really sexy looking guys and gals in there 20's! All the bad guys are about 20 years older and could be the good guys parents! And in one case, the bad guy is a parent! One of the most memorable lines: "When you were five years old I had to either kill you or leave you. You shouldn't have come here (parent's home), but I will give you a head start." What a pal!

When I heard this line I thought to myself, "how inspiring!" Parents are all defective or crazy religious zealots or non-existent. Religious people are all fanatical killers going back to the "Inquisition." Only narcissistic 20-Somethings are the heroes in the world of Jumper. But even they are so narcissistic, that when the Christmas Eve Tsunami hits the Indian Ocean nations of the world, does our hero, Hayden Christensen, go and use his incredible teleporting powers to save those drowning before his eyes on the T.V. news? Nope! He grabs a surf board and teleports to some Pacific Island country to surf those extra powerful waves! How disgusting and shocking! What are the writers of this story trying to tell us? That 20-30 year olds are so gross they only care about themselves? So, in a real sense, there are absolutely no good guys in this pathetic film!

Now that the writer's strike is over I hope those responsible for crafting this depressing trash get kicked out of the Writers Union! I'm sure there are plenty of talented writers in the world who can churn out a decent story, and would give their eye-teeth to break into show business! One can only hope!

The Rise of Selfishness in America

3 out of 5 stars

Jumper, Worth Watching for Science Fiction Fans, Give it a Try! March 8, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

Jumper [Theatrical Release]

"Jumper" is a good movie that will appeal to science fiction lovers, comic book junkies and anybody who's ever wanted to travel the world without blowing their bank account. The story is simple, the special effects and international sets are amazing, and the acting is ... well you can't have anything. The young actors here are given very few lines to work with and might not meet the high standards of those who want every movie, including an action fantasy movie, to have award worthy acting.

Many people will have to wonder what I wondered when I first read the reviews here: did I see the same movie as everybody else? Why has this movie been panned by so many people?

Fans of the original novel tend to be against this movie because it deviates from the original story and offers a much more film-friendly short version. Jumper: A Novel (Jumper) There was a "prequel" story written to transition fans to this story, and you can check out those reviews to see their reactions. Jumper: Jumpscars - The Official Prequel to the Film (Jumper)

I appreciate great acting, but I didn't expect Indiana Jones to win for best actor. I likewise didn't expect too much from this acting-wise. Hayden Christensen may not the most expressive actor, but the kid is young! Be realistic! Actually, Bilson's portrayal as Millie was much less impressive, an overly flirty one-dimensional take. And Samuel L. Jackson was almost getting paid twice for the role he played in "Unbreakable," except here his character has the weapons and the strength to really fight the heroes.

Many people also seem to want more back-story and explainations for the science behind his ability to teleport. Yet don't the backstories in most movies like this make them even less believable? How often in life do people stop in the middle of something to explain how and why everything is happening? I was glad that they didn't waste time trying to explain a work of imagination. This is a science fiction concept, nothing more.

This movie, when viewed as just a movie, is great entertainment and very fun to watch. Coming into this just as a movie-goer with no preconceived notions, I loved it. I could suspend disbelief because I know how to let my imagination go when it comes to science fiction.

Essentially, Hayden Christensen plays a young kid who is bullied at school and harassed by an alcoholic father. He discovers his ability to teleport, and soon is making a new life for himself teleporting all over the world. He soon discovers he's not the only "Jumper" out there, and that a group of paladins are determined to find and kill jumpers. He returns to his hometown to find his high school crush, and has to deal with telling her his secret ability.

The pacing was really well done. This movie moves along very quickly. It may leave a lot of unanswered questions but it also never leaves you dragging. The score is well done, but there could have been more songs to create a real soundtrack. They make up for it by moving from location to location with amazing cinematography.

And let me tell you, the sets are amazing! The camera work on top of Big Ben, at the Sphinx, on the Pyramids, and on and on, it was all amazing. For those wide shots alone it's worth seeing in the theatres. I was so jealous this guy could go wherever he wanted, from Europe to Africa to Asia. I can't wait for the DVD to find out which locations were shot on set and which were created via CGI or some other means.

Other special effects are impressive as well, as we see the "residue" of the jumper's as they teleport. The paladins also have their own tools which are perhaps not as cool. There's also an amazing couple of fight scenes that are peppered in.

The movie does end very quickly, and is clearly based on a plot designed for sequels. That leaves the story with a lot of loose ends. Still, I for one would gladly subject myself to a sequel, even look forward to one.

If you want realism, going to see a fantasy thriller isn't going to give it to you. If you want fun and love science fiction or comics, this movie is fun to watch.

Enjoy!

2 out of 5 stars

It's No Jump in the Park February 16, 2008
10 out of 16 found this review helpful

At first, I honestly couldn't tell if "Jumper" was a milestone of science fiction camp or just a really bad movie. Moments of this film are so obviously ridiculous that it's difficult to imagine their inclusions as unintentional. Consider the fact that Hayden Christensen's character--who has the ability to teleport himself to wherever he wants--literally ends up atop famous landmarks, such as the face of Big Ben, or the head of the Sphinx; honestly, doesn't this seem like an inside joke on the filmmaker's part? But after a while, I had to admit to myself that it wasn't supposed to be campy and that I wasn't having fun. This movie is just plain frustrating, not only because it fails to tell a coherent story, but also because it assumes we'll understand it even though it doesn't explain itself. Watching "Jumper" is like playing a video game without knowing the rules, what the goal is, or even how to use the controller.

The science fiction element is probably the most frustrating thing of all, simply because it's an intriguing concept that has nothing to fall back on. It can't even rely on the plot, which can't be described without falling through one of its numerous holes. Example: the prologue establishes that small-town Detroit boy David Rice discovered the power to transport himself at age fifteen (Max Thieriot), when he ended up in a library after walking on a frozen lake and falling through some thin ice. But wait a minute--as an adult (Christensen) in the story proper, he's informed that he first transported at age five. If that's true, then I have a hard time believing he'd forget something like that for ten straight years.

Never mind; what is clear is that David's power--called Jumping--can take him across any distance, from a few feet to a few thousand miles. And indeed, he Jumps all over the world on any given day, using only a postcard or a mental image to get him to his destination (and that makes we wonder about the moment he saved himself from drowning at age fifteen, since I can't imagine him visualizing a library). Oh, and in case you're wonder how David supports himself, it should be noted here that he's a very rich young man, living in one of New York City's most expensive areas. He's never been a hard worker, but he can steal money by jumping to and from sealed bank vaults. He eventually uses that money to take his high school sweetheart--Millie (Rachel Bilson)--on a trip to Rome. He, of course, doesn't Jump there, since that would be telling her too much too soon. But considering how annoying and unbelievable she is, I don't think it would have mattered a great deal.

We're soon introduced to a man named Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), and that's when the story really gets confusing. Roland, you see, is the leader of the Paladins, a group dedicated to hunting down and destroying every last Jumper on earth. As for why Roland does this, all he ever says is, "Only God should have the power to be in all places at once." He also says that, sooner or later, all Jumpers turn bad. What he doesn't say is why or how, nor does he even hint at a Paladin back-story, such as how long they've been chasing Jumpers and why they feel so threatened by them. That would have been helpful, don't you think? Roland shows his angry side by shocking Jumpers with metal rods that shoot out electrified wires; this wouldn't have been a problem had the film actually attempted to explain what these weapons were.

David soon learns that he's not the only Jumper. Here enters Griffin (Jamie Bell), an antisocial hothead who hunts Paladins from his shack in the middle of one of the world's deserts. He says that he's been tracking David for the past ten years, which is difficult to understand since he looks about as old as David does, maybe even younger. He also says that he lost his parents when he was only five, and this was because the Paladins discovered his ability to Jump. Again, I ask why. And again, I say never mind, because I haven't even gotten to the final major sequence, which sees Millie trapped in Roland's clutches, awaiting David to return from a showdown with Griffin.

Have I made it clear just how infuriating this movie is? Probably not--this review is just as rambling and confused as the film itself. "Jumper" is all action but no setup, a cool-looking science fiction thriller that tells us nothing but expects us to be entertained nonetheless. My biggest beef related to David's back story, a classic case of feeling unloved and unwanted; when he was only five, his mother (Diane Lane) left him and his abusive, alcoholic father (Michael Rooker), so by the time he turned fifteen, he had had enough rejection in his life. I won't reveal why his mother left, although I will say that her reasons only added more questions to an ever-growing list. This movie can do nothing more than raise questions, which makes me wonder if director Doug Liman intentionally left the explanations out of the final cut. Here's hoping that fixing this film is as simple as releasing an exhaustively re-cut extended version; it might be something I can watch without feeling so damn lost.

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