Imagine you could go anywhere in the world just by picturing the place in your mind. “Jumper” is a movie that plays with that idea. When David Rice is put in a certain-death situation in a freezing river, his thoughts of survival transport him to the school library and his safety. Upon learning of his newfound power, David decides to leave his young life behind and live on his own. By jumping into and out of bank vaults, David takes enough money to live a pretty handsome lifestyle, jumping all around the world in the blink of an eye.
When of a group of jumper-hunters known as Paladins come looking for David (Hayden Christianson – “Star Wars”), David returns home to find his childhood sweetheart Millie (Rachel Bilson – “The O.C.”). Millie and David immediately hit it off again, and end up taking a spur of the moment vacation to Italy. While there, the Paladins return, led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson – “Star Wars”). While running from the Paladins, David finds out that he’s not the only jumper, when he meets Griffin. David is forced to leave Italy abruptly, and must come clean to Millie about who he really is. The Paladins continue to follow David and Griffin, and David must make the choice whether to continue to run and hide or to stand up with Griffin against their common enemy.
“Jumper” tells an interesting story about the limits to one’s rights. According to the Paladins, they believe that the jumpers must be stopped because no one other than God has the right to be anywhere they want in an instant and do anything they wish without consequences. They believe that all the jumpers at some point will turn evil and abuse their powers. David tries to tell Roland that he’s different, and just because he was born with this power does not pre-destine him for negative things.
The special effects in “Jumper” are rather impressive. David and Griffin travel to a variety of destinations, and the visualization of the jump streams really captured the essence of the power the jumpers hold.
Where “Jumper” falls short, however, is in the storyline. It takes nearly half of the movie to learn who the Paladins are, and the ideology they hold is not really discussed is as much detail as it could be. Probably one of the biggest tragedies in the storyline is the relationship between David and one of the other Paladins (who’s identity gives away much of the story). The director left numerous hints towards a future interaction between these two characters, but when they finally do interact, it is not as satisfying conclusion as it could have been.
Overall, “Jumper” is a good escape movie. It allows the viewer to imagine a lifestyle like David has and to become enthralled in an action-packed story. Although there are a few flaws in the storyline, the action and special effects make the movie worth watching.
Grade: B-