Jumper

Review by Guy Davis

Despite what its title might lead you to believe, Jumper is not the story of a warm, comfortable pullover.

Okay, now that the most obvious gag is out of the way, let’s talk about the movie, an allegedly action-packed adventure that tells the story of David Rice (Hayden Christensen), a young man with the extraordinary ability to transport himself anywhere in the world.

No, he hasn’t racked up a huge number of frequent-flyer points. David is a 'Jumper', someone who can travel any distance simply by thinking about it.

Whether it’s across the room or around the globe, he can disappear and re-appear in a matter of seconds. And since he left home as a teenager, he’s used his skill to visit almost every country on Earth and amass a tidy little nest egg by popping in and out of various bank vaults (always leaving an apology or an IOU).

But Jumpers aren’t all that popular with some sections of the community, especially the Paladins, a secret society dedicated to wiping them out. “Only God should have the power to be in all places at all times,” is the view of Paladin head honcho Roland (Samuel L. Jackson).

When Roland and his crew learn of David’s existence, the young man finds himself on the run. Returning to his home town, he renews his acquaintance with Millie (Rachel Bilson from The O.C.), the girl he loved but left years earlier.

But while David may have a second chance at happiness with Millie, he also inadvertently puts her in danger...because the Paladins will use any angle they can to bring down a Jumper.

Based on a young-adult novel by Stephen Gould, Jumper is slickly-made mainstream entertainment with one big flaw: it jumps (ha!) from scene to scene with wild abandon, offering only the skimpiest insight into the characters and their personalities.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that – indeed, it may well move at just the right pace Jumper’s young, information-savvy target audience. But it feels a little threadbare as a result, even though it’s tricked out with gorgeous globe-trotting locales and cutting-edge special effects.

Director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr & Mrs Smith) could well be to blame for this. He’s a curious filmmaker, this one: he’s clearly an interesting stylist who makes some cool choices (Jumper's jazzy music score is a standout, for example) but he also seems easily distracted and eager to get one sequence over with so he can move on to the next one.

So Jumper subsequently comes across as a handful of good ideas and well-made scenes rather than a complete experience.

Christensen poses another problem. He’s not untalented (despite what detractors of his Star Wars performances may claim), but he’s only as good as his material. And while he shows a guileless charm in his early scenes, he’s not really equipped to breathe much life into the later parts of the movie.

It doesn’t help that Jackson lets his platinum hairdo do much of his work, and that Bilson is cute and likeable but unmemorable.

But Billy Elliot’s Jamie Bell makes up for these lacklustre turns with his performance as Griffin, a rogue Jumper who becomes David’s unwilling ally against the Paladins.

Bell, who’s shaping as a very versatile and watchable actor, brings a scruffy, semi-feral edge to the proceedings that gives Jumper a jump-start whenever he appears.

2.5 out of 5

Jumper
Australian release: 14th February, 2008
Cast: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L.Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell
Director: Doug Liman
Website: Official Site