I first saw the trailer online for Jumper a few months ago. Since then many different ones have been released, most making the movie look better than it turned out to be. Don’t get me wrong though, the movie was pretty good for a Sci-Fi action movie. First off, I didn’t realize that Hayden Christenson was playing the main character, David Rice. I guess he has done a few movies since he was Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, but I never heard of any of them.
The good: Teleportation is an awesome premise for an action movie. After all, what is possible if someone can teleport anywhere they want with ease? What if they could take other objects with them? The fight scenes and special effects are amazing, exactly as I had expected from the previews I saw.
The bad: The good vs. evil theme just didn’t sit right with me. So these hunters, called Paladins, are trying to exterminate all of the Jumpers because they are “abominations.” “Only God should have the power to be all places at all times,” exclaims the master hunter Roland, played by Samuel L. Jackson. A more accurate definition would be “not so evil, but selfish” vs. evil. David is no Superman. He’s perfectly comfortable watching people die in disasters on TV then taking a leisurely jaunt to London for a one night stand.
The ugly: The sudden and implausible romance between David and his childhood crush Millie is so out of place that I was distracted trying to figure out what the writers were thinking. But wait, what girl wouldn’t get swept off her feet by someone that pops back in her life after disappearing under a sheet of ice after 8 years who claims to be a successful banker? To Rome we go, right? After some awkward silence here and there between David and Millie (reminiscent of the sappy exchanges between Anakin Skywalker and Queen Amidala), a romance blossoms! In some tired and worn out cliché, she says at one point, “You don’t have to tell me everything, but don’t lie to me.” Sure, he could be some type of burglar or bank robber, but as long as she gets a trip to Rome, who cares?
Jumper is a Sci-Fi action movie that tries too hard to be more than what it is, a Sci-Fi action movie. The good vs. evil theme is weak, romance is unbelievable, and there are too many clichés. If you don’t believe me, read the synopsis. I’d recommend waiting for DVD on this one.
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