JUMPER

Picture courtesy of 20th Century Fox

A teen finds out he can travel anywhere at anytime in the action movie JUMPER. David Rice, played by STAR WARS alum Hayden Christensen, discovers through a near tragedy that he can teleport himself to various locations around the globe. David nearly drowned after falling through a thin sheet of ice, but thanks to his unknown skills, he inadvertently teleports himself to the local library. With his newfound powers, and troubles at home, David decides to become a runaway and funds his excursion and subsequent life, by teleporting himself to and from bank vaults. Years later David discovers he’s not the only one with such skills, and that he is identified as a Jumper by a policing body dead set on eliminating his kind.

Attempting to provide a synopsis for JUMPER is not an easy task, mainly because the script reveals little about the Jumpers, and even less about the Paladins, the policing body previously mentioned. The film runs rather short at 90 minutes, and one can tell by the lack of background, not to mention the Diane Lane performance that amounts to a cameo, that JUMPER left a lot of film on the editing room floor. I suppose one could forgive the film for not providing nary an explanation if it had provided the thrills and excitement that it’s trailer had promised. Despite teleporting David from scenic locale to scenic locale, JUMPER fails to entertain on a fundamental level. The CGI is passable, in comparison to its teleporting predecessors, but little excitement is derived from the technique. Christensen and Paladin pursuer Samuel Jackson add little tension in performances that seem destined towards Razzie nominations. Again, a lot of the blame goes to a collection of screenwriters and director Doug Liman. By not establishing the ground rules for Jumpers or their pursuers, one is left with constant head shaking and shoulder shrugging. JUMPER is a nonsensical and nearly unexplainable picture.

Grade: D+