Jumper 2008

Anywhere is possible.

6.145 / 10   5549 vote(s)
PG-13
Action Adventure Science Fiction

David Rice is a man who knows no boundaries, a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to anywhere on Earth. When he discovers others like himself, David is thrust into a dangerous and bloodthirsty war while being hunted by a sinister and determined group of zealots who have sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, David’s extraordinary gift may be his only hope for survival!

Homepage http://www.fox.co.uk/jumper
Release Date 2008-02-13
Runtime 1h 28m
Directors Doug Liman, Barry Peterson, Thomas Valentine, Elinor Rose Galbraith, Itsuko Kurono, Simon Crane, Kim H. Winther, Mark Taylor
Producers Lucas Foster, Simon Kinberg, Jay Sanders, Arnon Milchan, Stacy Maes, Kim H. Winther, Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza, Simon Crane, Jeffrey Harlacker, Georgina Pope, Joe Hartwick Jr., Simon Crane, Ellen Somers, Jeffrey Harlacker
Writers David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, Simon Kinberg, Steven Gould

Between jumps and stumbles, the film untangles itself with some aplomb.

What would be possible if we could all teleport at will? It would be chaos. For some reason, God, or whoever you want, didn't want to make it possible for humans. This is the belief of the Paladins, who hunt down and kill the “Skippers”, individuals who can, in fact, travel between different places in the blink of an eye.

The film starts off with a very good premise and would have been a remarkable teen movie had it not been for the poor practical realization of it all. The film is beautiful, and the script is good, with a good story… but things just seem too imaginative, and the excessive use of CGI and green screen does not help to mitigate this feeling, quite the contrary.

Hayden Christiansen secures the protagonist with efficiency, not to mention talent. He doesn't have big similarities like what we saw in “Star Wars”, he manages to make us forget what we've already seen of him and give us something good here. Unfortunately, there's no one in the cast who can keep up! Of course, except for the veteran and impeccable Samuel L. Jackson, although his character is somewhat cliché, and the actor sometimes seems to limit himself to giving us a darker and colder view of “his” Nick Fury.

Despite the weaknesses, the clichés and the fragility of some points and production values, it is not a difficult film to recommend: it really entertains its audience well and, for those who haven't seen it or don't know much about it, it can be truly a good surprise.

Filipe Manuel Neto