The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
By the director's own admission, Jumper had something of a troubled route to the screen, but then, that's par for the course when Doug Liman is the man at the helm. Liman seems to both attract and generate trouble when he's on a film set (he has a tendency to change his mind and make things up on the spot) but he has a solid track record box office-wise, as his last two features were the excellent The Bourne Identity and the so-so but successful Brangelina vehicle, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. This time round, as with Bourne, he's attempting to kickstart a new franchise, and while it's doubtful Jumper will generate anything like that level of success, it's fairly entertaining fare. The central premise of the film is about a teenage boy who discovers that he has the ability to instantaneously teleport, or "jump", to anywhere he has been in the past. He quickly figures out that he can use this ability to his own advantage, and by early adulthood he lives in a New York penthouse, having robbed a bank without having to unlock any doors. But his perfect world starts to fall apart when Samuel L. Jackson's baddie, a Paladin (he hunts Jumpers), comes calling.
The young lead that Liman employs is the rather uninspiring figure of Hayden Christensen, known mostly for his lifelessly wooden showings as Anakin Skywalker in two of the Star Wars prequels. Here he's certainly better than that - thanks largely, one would presume, to the fact that he doesn't have to get his tongue around George Lucas' woeful dialogue - but still comes off as rather bland. He's completely overshadowed by the far more colourful and lively Jamie Bell, who has great fun as an initially mysterious figure who is seen following Christensen around. The obligatory love interest is supplied by Rachel Bilson of "The O.C." fame (which was exec-produced by Liman), whose endearing girl-next-door qualities add to a role that is really little more than a plot device.
The action and globetrotting is really what Jumper is all about, and, for the most part, it delivers. The film crew actually went to most of the places that the characters visit - destinations include Egypt, Tokyo, Paris and Rome - and this does contribute to a sense of visual authenticity. An action scene inside the ruins of the Coliseum is made more memorable by the fact that it was actually shot there, while the climax goes to such a dizzying array of locations that it becomes a bit confusing. The central teleporting premise is used well, and extensively, but it does not entirely make up for a highly erratic pace. The action scenes do feel quite original but some slightly dodgy CGI rears its head on occasion (not surprising given the ambition of this sub-$100 million blockbuster) and Liman occasionally over-indulges in that bane of modern action cinema, the shaky close-up. While Jumper perhaps doesn't quite hang together and is rather inconsistent, it does entertain and provides the sort of ride that the trailers promised.
The summary
An entertaining, if rather flawed, action adventure livened up by Jamie Bell and the impressive range of locations.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!