Though dazzled by its ultra-modern wizardry and the high gloss of its production values, one can also feel the globalist double standard roiling underneath the adolescent-kid fantasy plot.
Jumper (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:158
Fresh:25
Rotten:133
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Featuring uninvolving characters and loose narrative, Jumper is an erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:14-02-2008
Synopsis: Based on Steven Gould's critically acclaimed novel, JUMPER leaps onto the screen courtesy of director Doug Liman. David (Hayden Christiansen) has inexplicably been given the power to teleport... Based on Steven Gould's critically acclaimed novel, JUMPER leaps onto the screen courtesy of director Doug Liman. David (Hayden Christiansen) has inexplicably been given the power to teleport himself, or jump. He can jump into a bank vault, then to the top of the Sphinx, then back to his luxury Manhattan apartment. But despite all his power, he still misses his childhood love, Millie (Rachel Bilson, THE O.C.). When the opportunity arises, David jets off to Rome with Millie, but it's not all romance in the Italian city. David's unique abilities place him in the middle of a war between the jumpers and the paladins, a secretive group intent on hunting down the teleporters. Led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), the paladins track David and fellow jumper Griffin (Jamie Bell) across the world, and Millie may be caught in the crossfire. JUMPER moves as fast as its teleporting hero, condensing the novel into a slim, action-packed offering. The slick special effects and impressive locations are certainly on par with Liman's previous work in THE BOURNE IDENTITY and MR. AND MRS. SMITH, but JUMPER bears a closer resemblance to comic book adaptations. Like Spider-man and most other costume-clad protagonists with unearthly abilities, David grapples with his newfound talents. But unlike his tights-and-cape-wearing brethren, David doesn't use his ability for the greater good. Instead, it gets him piles of money and, perhaps, the girl he's been dreaming of since he was five years old. Though most action films are driven by the struggle between good and evil, JUMPER interestingly offers up a central character who lies somewhere in the middle. Slightly less ambiguous is the film's ending that leaves the option for a sequel completely open. [More]
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Samuel L. Jackson
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane, Michael Rooker, AnnaSophia Robb, Max Thierot
Director: Doug Liman
Director: Doug Liman
Screenwriter: David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, Simon Kinberg
Producer: Arnon Milchan, Lucas Foster, Jay Sanders, Simon Kinberg
Composer: John Powell
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Jumper
No exciting action can cover the film's profound shallowness and repulsive attitude toward everyone but Christensen.
Cool concept, good acting, respectable cinematography; but the depth is sadly missing. Jumps away from any kind of in-depth dialogue and headlong into the same type of action.
has a tremendous premise and awesome special effects that are ultimately hindered by a plot that doesn't go deeper than its ''isn't this cool?" gimmick.
I can’t see people lining up for a sequel -- unless Samuel Jackson’s hair grows out and marches on Tokyo.
Given its uninvolving story, uninteresting characters and the presence of half-man/half-tree Hayden Christensen, the movie is wholly dependent on special effects, which I rate only so-so.
Doug Liman's Jumper takes an intriguing premise -- a guy who can teleport himself anywhere, anytime -- and turns it into a totally ridiculous and incoherent sci-fi adventure.
Liman’s movie candy is philistine, banal and lacks surrealist thrill. His sci-fi, quasi-political allegory is like an X-Men or Hulk narrative told from the ass end.
Jumper is a barely coherent genre mishmash about a guy who transports himself across the globe at will.
Adapted from Steven Gould's young-adult novel, Liman's tale of the bookish high-schooler with unusual powers isn't a shot of adrenaline, it's an OD.
In Jumper, the fantasy of teleportation grows stronger by the moment -- after just a few scenes, you want to be somewhere else.
It took three screenwriters to turn Steven Gould's novel into an unholy mess.
Jumper takes leaps that have nothing to do with telepathic transporting. They involve logic and storytelling, and they doom this sci-fi film.
The proceedings soon deteriorate into one more tedious slugfest, with some laughably inane dialogue and so many story holes that you quickly lose count.
Jumper never contends with its biggest liability: the fact that its main character is neither a lovable rascal nor a fascinatingly dark antihero, but just kind of a smug tool.
The film looks great, but at a brisk 88 minutes, there's no time to fill in back story, and the cliffhanger ending is so abrupt that the movie seems bizarrely truncated.
Short on imagination and anchored by a wan hero, Jumper is a flight of fancy that never fully takes off.
It's that rare genre picture targeted to teens and young adults that suffers from underkill.
Liman's pursuit of action comes at a price: He seems to have cut too finely, removing character development and even a few characters.
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