There are some movies that simply appeal to the imagination. "Jumper" is one of them. That it falls a bit short in some plot and acting areas is besides the point; it's the imagination that carries us forward on this ride.
Hayden Christensen plays David Rice, a once goofy teenager who morphs into a globe-trotting world traveler after he discovers that in his late teenage years he has the ability to teleport. After he refined his abilities, we learn that David has established various "jump points" across the planet, thus his daily schedule takes him anywhere on earth he wants to go to. Literally. The premise is a unique one, no doubt, and it does indeed appeal to the imagination on many levels.
The film starts off with establishing the back story of David and his powers, catching us up to date with the high school crush he had, the bullies he knew and the rugged family life he endured. It's a swift moving introduction with the editing making this little backstory feel as though it were a key piece of the film. As we're taken to the present day, we're given a brief glimpse into David's day-to-day life and some of the lazy habits he developed (when you can teleport, why walk to the kitchen?) The story picks up a bit of intensity when Samuel L. Jackson's character of Roland is introduced, a covert agent who spends his career hunting Jumpers across the globe. While the first meeting between David and Roland might have arrived on-screen too soon (I wanted to see more of David's fun life!), it did well in setting up a fast paced energy that the film catapulted from. From here on out, it's a chase picture.
And what a chase it is. The story of "Jumper" crisscrosses a myriad of locations that certainly kept me entertained. I appreciated the way that Director Doug Liman kept several reference points that the Jumpers used and bounced to and fro from each locale. This added some serious scope to the picture. The inclusion of Jamie Bell provided a nice dose of sidekick comedy to the proceedings as well, balancing out the over-the-top moments provided by Rachel Bilson's character. By the time the climactic finish took place up, and all the varied locales had been traveled, I had already decided that I was a "Jumper" fan. In fact, I was ready for another run.
When I left the theater, I commented that "Jumper" made for the perfect February release. The film played like a mini-event movie and it also understood its audience. The critics, many of whom seem to be lacking imagination or enthusiasm in their own right, have pegged this movie completely wrong with their highly negative reviews. My advice is to not critique it for its weak points but to enjoy it for the exciting, imaginative moments that it offers! I submit that the latter far outweighs the former, and you'll be enjoying a fun time at the cineplex if you embrace it as such.
