Jumper never quite gets off the ground...

as a big-time comics fan, I thought that a movie like Jumper would fulfill my need to explore a fantastic world on the big screen, so my wife and I went to check it out. We didn't expect a GREAT movie, but for our money would like to see a good one.
we didn't.
Jumper has the problem many movies of the sort have: it never lives up to the 'Big Idea'. the visual effects, powers and "origin" of David (the title character, played by Christensen) are illustrated well enough, but the story was not well executed.

Sam L. Jackson is convincing as a Paladin
, one of an order of religious zealots who hunt Jumpers, but we are never really told why, beyond the repeated vague statement that "only God should be able to be all places at once." Designed, I suppose, to play upon the increasingly popular sentiment that all religious people are idiots who profess to serve good, even if it requires the commission of horrific acts of violence. in other words, people of faith are all haters... yawn. as i recall, "Jumper" is an adaptation of a novel, and the motives of the Paladins run deeper than this.
would'a been nice to include that in the movie...
of course, there is a girl for the main character to be smitten with, but she's horrible and she and Christensen have no chemistry at all. so anyways, this movie had lots of potential. it might make a great comic in the right hands, as the story was very thin, but begged more room to explain and expand on themes. writers of the story would really benefit from people being able to ask questions, which could be answered later. creative people should check it out, a because they could learn how to play with an idea... and how NOT to neglect your audience!

holla!

-gM

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