The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Doug Liman, director of Jumper, is no stranger to action, and serves well to throw the viewer straight into the film’s high concept. It is not, however, without flashbacks; it promptly diverts to show a young David Rice in the most clichéd of scenarios, where he is humiliated by the stereotypical bully whilst defending the honour of the doting love of his life. Soon enough, the lad finds that he possesses the power to somehow teleport anywhere, although we have no idea why or how; we are as dumbfounded as our young protagonist.
Jumper's hark through the back story is perhaps slightly cumbersome, although the film is by no means a redundant effort. Jumper paints David (Hayden Christensen) as something of an immature hedonist; he teleports to other countries to surf, he goes to London to pick up women, and he is met with opposition by Samuel L Jackson; a Terminator-like G-man psychopath, who goes about killing every "jumper", driven by some sort of divine complex.
The film breaks convention in having these two confront early into the picture; a welcome change from the ordinary. The fight is inventive, and Jackson, with his white hair and over-the-top get up, fits in well as a comic book-esque villain.
What makes Jumper more interesting than similar attempts, and even some comic book films, is that Hayden's immaturity gets the better of him on several occasions; he is hot-headed, he is vindictive, and thus, his characterisation is authentic of many young men of his age. He owes little to Peter Parker, but more to the likes of The Punisher.
David reacquaints himself with his old flame, Millie (the lovely Rachel Bilson), although reaffirming their rapport so quickly seems rather forced for the sake of the narrative, and the speed with which they jet off to Rome is only less ridiculous than the speed with which they remove their clothes and rekindle their love. Warning; you may wish to place your fingers in your ears at this point in the film, for the soundtrack at this point declines into a dire, saccharine, bubble-gum pop effort.
The film does spend too long indulging in David’s fancies with Millie, yet it eventually slams into gear as Griffin (Jamie Bell), a fellow jumper, shows up as Hayden's unwilling sidekick. Unfortunately, once he is introduced, Liman throws us headlong into another caper, in which David must extricate himself and Millie from another scrape, a scrape caused by nothing more than David’s own romantic stupidity. Flawed characters are welcome, but at this stage, David is something of a boob. Furthermore, Bilson's character, whilst eye-pleasing, serves as little more than a means of filling the gaps of silence. She is another obstacle in moving the plot forward, and her moments of drama with Christensen are among the film's worst.
Jumper is not exactly an insult to the viewer's intelligence, but it goes through a number of unnecessary motions that, from the trailer alone, if not because of its predictability, we know are acts of misdirection. At least in one instance, the misdirection is fortunately brief, yet the globetrotting, investigative aspect of the film is nowhere near as exciting as Liman would like it to be.
Things eventually come to a head, yet the issue of how the baddies can constantly catch up to the Jumpers is not even suggested until it is required to drive the plot forward towards the final battle, and thus feels pretty convoluted. The finale, however, is an appropriately overblown endeavour, with insane thrills and spills, yet Liman feels the need to intercut it with the emotional dramas of our protagonist, which most viewers simply won't care about, and likely be irritated by. Characters dart about with the frenetic pace of a computer game, yet I must wonder whether too much time is spent considering the struggle between good and good, rather than good and evil.
For a villain, Jackson‘s screen time is frustratingly limited. Christensen’s character spends about as much time fighting his supposed ally as he does Jackson, although watching the film, you'd never guess that Bell and Christensen are in league.
As frantic as the final battle is; it is all too brief, and things end in an unsatisfactory manner; little is resolved, much is left unanswered, and nothing about its close is inventive. Jumper had a novel concept; it had the traction to become a superior superhero film, and whilst it was helmed by the man who set the foundations of the Bourne series, and the director of Go, it also came from the man who brought us Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and it is about as decidedly average as that film. Jumper is by no means a bad film; it is decent, it is even well-performed by the uniformly bland Christensen, yet Jackson is never used to his full potential, nor is the entire concept upon which the film is based.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
Jumper's hark through the back story is perhaps slightly cumbersome, although the film is by no means a redundant effort. Jumper paints David (Hayden Christensen) as something of an immature hedonist; he teleports to other countries to surf, he goes to London to pick up women, and he is met with opposition by Samuel L Jackson; a Terminator-like G-man psychopath, who goes about killing every "jumper", driven by some sort of divine complex.
The film breaks convention in having these two confront early into the picture; a welcome change from the ordinary. The fight is inventive, and Jackson, with his white hair and over-the-top get up, fits in well as a comic book-esque villain.
What makes Jumper more interesting than similar attempts, and even some comic book films, is that Hayden's immaturity gets the better of him on several occasions; he is hot-headed, he is vindictive, and thus, his characterisation is authentic of many young men of his age. He owes little to Peter Parker, but more to the likes of The Punisher.
David reacquaints himself with his old flame, Millie (the lovely Rachel Bilson), although reaffirming their rapport so quickly seems rather forced for the sake of the narrative, and the speed with which they jet off to Rome is only less ridiculous than the speed with which they remove their clothes and rekindle their love. Warning; you may wish to place your fingers in your ears at this point in the film, for the soundtrack at this point declines into a dire, saccharine, bubble-gum pop effort.
The film does spend too long indulging in David’s fancies with Millie, yet it eventually slams into gear as Griffin (Jamie Bell), a fellow jumper, shows up as Hayden's unwilling sidekick. Unfortunately, once he is introduced, Liman throws us headlong into another caper, in which David must extricate himself and Millie from another scrape, a scrape caused by nothing more than David’s own romantic stupidity. Flawed characters are welcome, but at this stage, David is something of a boob. Furthermore, Bilson's character, whilst eye-pleasing, serves as little more than a means of filling the gaps of silence. She is another obstacle in moving the plot forward, and her moments of drama with Christensen are among the film's worst.
Jumper is not exactly an insult to the viewer's intelligence, but it goes through a number of unnecessary motions that, from the trailer alone, if not because of its predictability, we know are acts of misdirection. At least in one instance, the misdirection is fortunately brief, yet the globetrotting, investigative aspect of the film is nowhere near as exciting as Liman would like it to be.
Things eventually come to a head, yet the issue of how the baddies can constantly catch up to the Jumpers is not even suggested until it is required to drive the plot forward towards the final battle, and thus feels pretty convoluted. The finale, however, is an appropriately overblown endeavour, with insane thrills and spills, yet Liman feels the need to intercut it with the emotional dramas of our protagonist, which most viewers simply won't care about, and likely be irritated by. Characters dart about with the frenetic pace of a computer game, yet I must wonder whether too much time is spent considering the struggle between good and good, rather than good and evil.
For a villain, Jackson‘s screen time is frustratingly limited. Christensen’s character spends about as much time fighting his supposed ally as he does Jackson, although watching the film, you'd never guess that Bell and Christensen are in league.
As frantic as the final battle is; it is all too brief, and things end in an unsatisfactory manner; little is resolved, much is left unanswered, and nothing about its close is inventive. Jumper had a novel concept; it had the traction to become a superior superhero film, and whilst it was helmed by the man who set the foundations of the Bourne series, and the director of Go, it also came from the man who brought us Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and it is about as decidedly average as that film. Jumper is by no means a bad film; it is decent, it is even well-performed by the uniformly bland Christensen, yet Jackson is never used to his full potential, nor is the entire concept upon which the film is based.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Doug Liman, director of Jumper, is no stranger to action, and serves well to throw the viewer straight into the film’s high concept. It is not, however, without flashbacks; it promptly diverts to show a young David Rice in the most clichéd of scenarios, where he is humiliated by the stereotypical bully whilst defending the honour of the doting love of his life. Soon enough, the lad finds that he possesses the power to somehow teleport anywhere, although we have no idea why or how; we are as dumbfounded as our young protagonist.
Jumper's hark through the back story is perhaps slightly cumbersome, although the film is by no means a redundant effort. Jumper paints David (Hayden Christensen) as something of an immature hedonist; he teleports to other countries to surf, he goes to London to pick up women, and he is met with opposition by Samuel L Jackson; a Terminator-like G-man psychopath, who goes about killing every "jumper", driven by some sort of divine complex.
The film breaks convention in having these two confront early into the picture; a welcome change from the ordinary. The fight is inventive, and Jackson, with his white hair and over-the-top get up, fits in well as a comic book-esque villain.
What makes Jumper more interesting than similar attempts, and even some comic book films, is that Hayden's immaturity gets the better of him on several occasions; he is hot-headed, he is vindictive, and thus, his characterisation is authentic of many young men of his age. He owes little to Peter Parker, but more to the likes of The Punisher.
David reacquaints himself with his old flame, Millie (the lovely Rachel Bilson), although reaffirming their rapport so quickly seems rather forced for the sake of the narrative, and the speed with which they jet off to Rome is only less ridiculous than the speed with which they remove their clothes and rekindle their love. Warning; you may wish to place your fingers in your ears at this point in the film, for the soundtrack at this point declines into a dire, saccharine, bubble-gum pop effort.
The film does spend too long indulging in David’s fancies with Millie, yet it eventually slams into gear as Griffin (Jamie Bell), a fellow jumper, shows up as Hayden's unwilling sidekick. Unfortunately, once he is introduced, Liman throws us headlong into another caper, in which David must extricate himself and Millie from another scrape, a scrape caused by nothing more than David’s own romantic stupidity. Flawed characters are welcome, but at this stage, David is something of a boob. Furthermore, Bilson's character, whilst eye-pleasing, serves as little more than a means of filling the gaps of silence. She is another obstacle in moving the plot forward, and her moments of drama with Christensen are among the film's worst.
Jumper is not exactly an insult to the viewer's intelligence, but it goes through a number of unnecessary motions that, from the trailer alone, if not because of its predictability, we know are acts of misdirection. At least in one instance, the misdirection is fortunately brief, yet the globetrotting, investigative aspect of the film is nowhere near as exciting as Liman would like it to be.
Things eventually come to a head, yet the issue of how the baddies can constantly catch up to the Jumpers is not even suggested until it is required to drive the plot forward towards the final battle, and thus feels pretty convoluted. The finale, however, is an appropriately overblown endeavour, with insane thrills and spills, yet Liman feels the need to intercut it with the emotional dramas of our protagonist, which most viewers simply won't care about, and likely be irritated by. Characters dart about with the frenetic pace of a computer game, yet I must wonder whether too much time is spent considering the struggle between good and good, rather than good and evil.
For a villain, Jackson‘s screen time is frustratingly limited. Christensen’s character spends about as much time fighting his supposed ally as he does Jackson, although watching the film, you'd never guess that Bell and Christensen are in league.
As frantic as the final battle is; it is all too brief, and things end in an unsatisfactory manner; little is resolved, much is left unanswered, and nothing about its close is inventive. Jumper had a novel concept; it had the traction to become a superior superhero film, and whilst it was helmed by the man who set the foundations of the Bourne series, and the director of Go, it also came from the man who brought us Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and it is about as decidedly average as that film. Jumper is by no means a bad film; it is decent, it is even well-performed by the uniformly bland Christensen, yet Jackson is never used to his full potential, nor is the entire concept upon which the film is based.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
Jumper's hark through the back story is perhaps slightly cumbersome, although the film is by no means a redundant effort. Jumper paints David (Hayden Christensen) as something of an immature hedonist; he teleports to other countries to surf, he goes to London to pick up women, and he is met with opposition by Samuel L Jackson; a Terminator-like G-man psychopath, who goes about killing every "jumper", driven by some sort of divine complex.
The film breaks convention in having these two confront early into the picture; a welcome change from the ordinary. The fight is inventive, and Jackson, with his white hair and over-the-top get up, fits in well as a comic book-esque villain.
What makes Jumper more interesting than similar attempts, and even some comic book films, is that Hayden's immaturity gets the better of him on several occasions; he is hot-headed, he is vindictive, and thus, his characterisation is authentic of many young men of his age. He owes little to Peter Parker, but more to the likes of The Punisher.
David reacquaints himself with his old flame, Millie (the lovely Rachel Bilson), although reaffirming their rapport so quickly seems rather forced for the sake of the narrative, and the speed with which they jet off to Rome is only less ridiculous than the speed with which they remove their clothes and rekindle their love. Warning; you may wish to place your fingers in your ears at this point in the film, for the soundtrack at this point declines into a dire, saccharine, bubble-gum pop effort.
The film does spend too long indulging in David’s fancies with Millie, yet it eventually slams into gear as Griffin (Jamie Bell), a fellow jumper, shows up as Hayden's unwilling sidekick. Unfortunately, once he is introduced, Liman throws us headlong into another caper, in which David must extricate himself and Millie from another scrape, a scrape caused by nothing more than David’s own romantic stupidity. Flawed characters are welcome, but at this stage, David is something of a boob. Furthermore, Bilson's character, whilst eye-pleasing, serves as little more than a means of filling the gaps of silence. She is another obstacle in moving the plot forward, and her moments of drama with Christensen are among the film's worst.
Jumper is not exactly an insult to the viewer's intelligence, but it goes through a number of unnecessary motions that, from the trailer alone, if not because of its predictability, we know are acts of misdirection. At least in one instance, the misdirection is fortunately brief, yet the globetrotting, investigative aspect of the film is nowhere near as exciting as Liman would like it to be.
Things eventually come to a head, yet the issue of how the baddies can constantly catch up to the Jumpers is not even suggested until it is required to drive the plot forward towards the final battle, and thus feels pretty convoluted. The finale, however, is an appropriately overblown endeavour, with insane thrills and spills, yet Liman feels the need to intercut it with the emotional dramas of our protagonist, which most viewers simply won't care about, and likely be irritated by. Characters dart about with the frenetic pace of a computer game, yet I must wonder whether too much time is spent considering the struggle between good and good, rather than good and evil.
For a villain, Jackson‘s screen time is frustratingly limited. Christensen’s character spends about as much time fighting his supposed ally as he does Jackson, although watching the film, you'd never guess that Bell and Christensen are in league.
As frantic as the final battle is; it is all too brief, and things end in an unsatisfactory manner; little is resolved, much is left unanswered, and nothing about its close is inventive. Jumper had a novel concept; it had the traction to become a superior superhero film, and whilst it was helmed by the man who set the foundations of the Bourne series, and the director of Go, it also came from the man who brought us Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and it is about as decidedly average as that film. Jumper is by no means a bad film; it is decent, it is even well-performed by the uniformly bland Christensen, yet Jackson is never used to his full potential, nor is the entire concept upon which the film is based.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer