Jumper Movie Tragically Flawed
Doug Limon Directs Hayden Christensen in Static Teleporter Film
Jumper, the new movie from Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, leaps into theaters staring Hayden Christensen as a teleporter in trouble.
Jumper, from director Doug Liman, has all the elements of a great science fiction flick. A handsome Canadian leading man (Hayden Christensen) with a special power (teleportation) who lives life on the edge (mostly on the head of the Great Sphinx) while a team of bad guys try to take him out (Samuel L. Jackson equipped with wicked electric whips).
From the trailers you’d expect the beginning of an epic trilogy along the likes of The Matrix.
However, unlike The Matrix which became increasingly messy with each part, Jumper skips the good parts and begins at the terrible end.
Parts two and three may redeem themselves, as Jumper may become a trilogy, but if part one is any indication, they should simply jump to video.
Jumper Jumps Around
Jumper suffers from the same Hollywoodian disease as many recent action films: too much time spent perfecting the effects, too little time spent developing an actual story to support them. Surprisingly this movie was based on Stephen Gould's bestselling novel. At least the effects are amazing and seamless – by far the best part of this film.
The movie begins with 15 year old David Rice (Max Thieriot) who, in a time of terror, discovers he has the ability to teleport to other places – why he ends up so often at the public library is any one’s guess.
Like all tragic heroes, David’s mother left him when he was five and his father turned into an abusive drunk. After a few awkward moments perfecting his power, David does what any 15 year old teleporter would: robs a bank and moves out on his own.
Flash forward eight years and David (now played by Hayden Christensen) lives a life of luxury off his stolen dough. He’s suave and flashy, on top of his game, until he nearly gets caught by Jackson, who, with bleached white hair, looks like he had been snowballed in the head.
Unsure where to go, David returns home. But nothing has changed there, not even dad’s undershirt, so he beams into a bar, downs a few beers and visits the girl he was in love with eight years prior.
David sees Millie, Millie and David share a moment, David and Millie take off for Rome. The next sequence of film is brought to you by the Italian Tourist Bureau.
Jumper Leaves Question Marks
While lingering shots of ancient roman statues and structures make beautiful art, it does little to advance the plot of the film, except that as a viewer you continue to jump from one scene to another with little explanation of the events.
Why is Jackson after Christensen? Simply, “Only God should have this power”. How is it possible to teleport? Because it is. Why does your mom spring you out of an Italian jail after abandoning you for the last 18 years? Because she’s Dian Lane playing a brief cameo. How do the holes in Christenson’s shirt sew themselves up with each jump? Because the guy in charge of continuity for this film skipped out to watch Cloverfield.
The best part of jumper is that it’s short, though any film that makes you wish you could teleport out of the theatre is one and a half hours too long.
If ever there was a right time to haul out the cliché “the book was better” it’s after seeing this travesty on film.
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