“”Jumper”” is literally one of the worst films I have ever seen in theaters. Nearly every aspect of it was appalling. From the awful script to the awful acting and everything in between, it is difficult to decide where to start tearing this movie apart.
How about the premise? The film starts out by introducing you to a guy who is constantly bullied and unable to woo his one true love. That is, until a dramatic event reveals a secret hidden power that changes everything! Wait a minute…that can’t be it. That sounds a lot like the plot of “”Spiderman””, most of the “”X-Men””, “”Superman”” and nearly every other superhero flick known to man. After the initial discovery, however, the plot does vary a bit from your traditional superhero story.
In “”Jumper,”” when David Rice (Hayden Christensen) discovers he has super powers, he doesn’t go do something foolish like save lives or stop crime, quite the contrary. David uses his new found ability of transporting, or “”jumping,”” from one place to another to rob banks and illegally trespass in order to impress said love, Millie (Rachel Bilson of “”The O.C.””).
Of course this is the part of the film where something happens to David, showing him the error of his ways, thereby dedicating him to a life of truth and justice. I’m afraid to tell you it never happens. There is no Uncle Ben spouting lines like, “”With great power comes great responsibility.”” No siree. Instead you just wish someone would stop this pretentious a-hole and end this awful film. Enter Samuel L. Jackson.
“”Jumper””
Rated PG-13 – 88 mins.
20th Century Fox
1 star
Jackson plays Roland, leader of a group known as Paladins whose sole mission in life is to kill jumpers. Why do they hate them so much? Who knows? With the script offering next to nothing in means of intentions or subplot, not even an actor like Jackson could save this film.
Jackson, though weak in his performance, still proved to be the best actor in the film. Then again, with actors like Christensen and Bilson playing the leads, you can’t expect much. Christensen’s performance proves consistent with the rest of the mediocre roles he has portrayed from one film to the next, while Bilson’s performance is downright laughable. Together, their relationship is unrealistic and forced.
As I said, not all the blame can be placed on the actors, the script of the film might be the weakest element of all. Often the characters’ lines are so cliché that you can literally predict a series of dialogue. The script also lacks vital character development and realism. There is a blinding lack of realistic character reaction and continuity from one scene to the next. When David’s love, Millie, discovers ten years later that David did not in fact die when he fell into a frozen lake, Millie’s only response is a mere chuckle.
The writing also lacks fluid plot development. The audience is often “”jumped”” from one scene to the next without any idea of how they got there. Overall, the film is disjointed and consistently perplexing in its progression.
The one good thing about this film, and I mean one, are the special effects. They are seamless. In a better film, they would do a wonderful job of keeping the audience believing the story. Unfortunately, when the audience is already completely removed by every other aspect of the film, the effects have little redeeming quality.
Do not pay to see this film. Do not allow someone to pay you to see this film. If I had not been reviewing it, I would have walked out. “”Jumper”” has more holes than Swiss cheese. The worst part is that by the end, you won’t even care.