IMDb plot synopsis: A teenager with teleportation abilities suddenly finds himself in the middle of an ancient war between those like him and their sworn annihilators.
Directed by Doug Liman. Starring Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Well, this was pretty disappointing. I was a big fan of the book as a teenager (in fact, I just got it so I can read it again and compare the two) but that was less wild sci-fi over-the-top action and more interesting coming-of-age drama with some sci-fi elements mixed in. I remember being fascinated by how it explored all the things he would and could do with this power, and while the movie does touch on that, it spends a lot more time building up a ridiculous villain that just exists and is accepted with zero explanation. Combine that with an extremely rushed second half (especially compared to the leisurely first half) and a bizarre ending, and this movie is ambitious but falls very flat.
There are a few good moments, though -- I'm thinking particularly of the chase scene all over the globe, which is delicious to watch. Hayden Christensen is likable, if a little dumb, as our hero, and Jamie Bell is (far more) interesting as his sidekick. There was a lot of potential with this movie, and seeing it fall apart is disappointing, but every so often I can catch glimpses of what it could've been.
1.5 stars.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Jumper < Red Eye
Jumper > Ray
Jumper < The Invention of Lying
Jumper < Camelot
Jumper > Apocalypse Now
Jumper < Hello, Dolly!
Jumper < JFK
Jumper > The Misfits
Jumper > Blue Valentine
Jumper > About Last Night...
Jumper > Drive Me Crazy
Final spot: #1677 out of 2358.
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