Jumper (2008)

Jumper (2008)

6/10

Starring

Hayden Christensen

Jamie Bell

Rachel Bilson

 

 

Directed by Doug Liman

Here’s a movie that didn’t get the celebration it deserved. I can throw in some criticism, like the plot feeling rushed and Hayden Christensen not being the strongest actor.
Still, the movie managed to pack enough excitement into its fast-paced plot for me to enjoy watching its over-an-hour of action more than once. Many wanted the movie to delve deeper into the details of the 1992 Steven Gould novel it’s based on. Even though this movie draws from the book, it feels like Doug Liman and the screenplay writers just skimmed Gould’s work. That said, the screenplay was good enough for me.

There’s a limit to how much you can develop characters, and this movie didn’t even try, to be honest. But its packed plot was interesting enough to keep me engaged.

A lot could have been done to glue things together and make this movie far better, but I guess they did enough. Even though the movie didn’t bother with character development, it made up for it in action.

The movie introduces the lead, David (Hayden Christensen), who, while trying to retrieve a snow globe for his friend Millie (Rachel Bilson), falls into a frozen lake. Instead of drowning, he teleports to his school library.
At that point, David realizes he has the power to go anywhere he wants. So, like many would, he robs banks, masters his teleportation ability, and lives life to the fullest. He stays off the grid for eight years, living large—until one jump too many puts him on the radar of a team called the Paladins.

The Paladins are a secret society of religious fanatics who track down and kill "Jumpers"—people like David. Their reasoning? Jumpers are a blasphemy to God’s omnipresence.

The lead Paladin hunting David is Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson), who’s puzzled about how David stayed hidden for eight years.
David runs into Roland and barely escapes. He makes the mistake of reconnecting with Millie and tries to run away with her. During their romantic trip, he meets another Jumper (David never knew there were others), who explains everything about Jumpers and Paladins.
David makes another mistake by trying to rescue Millie, which leads to his arrest. He escapes in a way you’ll want to see for yourself, only to discover that much of his life is built on lies.

I enjoyed watching Jumper back then, and I still do now. I think you will too.