Film Review: Jumper

Mar 27 2008 By Adrian Sudbury

JUMPER

Running time: 88 minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Doug Liman.

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell and Samuel L. Jackson.

In a nutshell:

A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport of 'jump' anywhere in time. But soon he finds himself caught in a war between two 'jumpers' and the enemies who've sworn to kill them.

What's the score: Each week two people give their views on one of the big releases. This week, it's Examiner journalist Adrian Sudbury and his partner Poppy Gilbert telling us what they thought of Jumper.

Poppy says....

I thought the story was badly explained. It didn’t really give a background into the history or the plot. It was basically a platform for the locations and the stunts. The story didn’t interest me, I could not engage with the characters or empathise with them. Jamie Bell’s performance stood out from an otherwise mediocre cast. I looked at my watch during the performance even though it was only about 90 minutes. long.

Rating: 2/5 (for Jamie Bell).

Adrian says....

You can teleport anywhere in the world, rob banks, accumulate a small fortune and munch on a pastie on top of the Sphinx. Then along comes Samuel L Jackson with his cattle prod and tries to stab you. A great premise for a film rapidly loses its way. Love the effects and the initial idea but let down with weak acting and turgid dialogue. Jackson almost texts his performance in. I tried to teleport home but was left driving the battered N-reg Punto.

Rating: 3/5.