Film Review: Jumper (2008)

Hollywood has produced numerous ambitious projects designed to become grand science fiction film series, but many of these have ultimately turned into forgotten single films. Among these failures, the 2008 film Jumper directed by Doug Liman stands out as a particularly interesting example. Based on Steven Gould's 1992 novel, the movie loosely adapts the story of David Rice, a young man with the ability to teleport.

The plot begins in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the 15-year-old protagonist, played by Max Thieriot, endures a difficult life with an abusive alcoholic father, William (played by Michael Rooker), and bullying at school. He attempts to win the heart of Millie Harris, played by Annasophia Robb, while also discovering his ability to teleport. He uses this newfound power to escape to New York City and finance himself through bank robberies and other illicit activities. Years later, as an adult, played by Hayden Christensen, he enjoys a good life until he is confronted by Roland, a mysterious federal agent played by Samuel L. Jackson, who has been tracking him down. While "jumping" away from Roland, David returns to Ann Arbor and reconnects with now-adult Millie, played by Rachel Bilson, and convinces her to join him on a trip to Rome. There, he meets Griffin, played by Jamie Bell, another young "jumper" who explains that Roland belongs to the Paladins, a secret organization tasked with hunting down and eliminating "jumpers."

From the outset, Jumper was intended as the first film in a multi-part series. Doug Liman seemed like a suitable choice for director, given his successful adaptation of Robert Ludlum's bestselling novel The Bourne Identity in 2002, a start of another successful film series. The role of the titular character was also seen as an opportunity for Hayden Christensen to escape the shadow of his most well-known and contentious role, Anakin Skywalker, and prove himself as a leading man.

Both Liman and Christensen deliver solid performances, with Liman utilizing the film's $85 million budget to fill the screen with exotic locations in various cities of the world and direct a series of interesting action scenes. The special effects provide a convincing reconstruction of the protagonist's ability to teleport.

Christensen is effective in the role of the protagonist, but the film suffers from a questionable decision to have the role of Rice played by two different actors during different stages of his life. The rest of the cast, including Samuel L. Jackson as surprisingly bland main villain, also falls short in their performances. Rachel Bilson fails to develop chemistry with Christensen, despite the two being a real-life couple.

The main problem with Jumper lies in its script, written by David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, and Simon Kinberg. The adaptation strays far from the original novel, making the plot more attractive and film-like, but also more complex. This complexity, combined with the film's unusually short runtime of just one and a half hours, ultimately dooms the film. The first hour is dominated by exposition, while the action-packed final 30 minutes feel rushed, leaving behind numerous plot holes and unanswered questions.

It is likely that Liman and the production team intended to address some of these questions in subsequent sequels, but this never came to fruition. While the box office results were solid, poor reviews, and a lack of enthusiasm among fans of the original novel, and Christensen's reputation at the time as an unpopular lead, quashed plans for big screen continuation of the saga. Instead, Liman had to settle for a quasi-sequel in the form of the television series Impulse, based on Gould's 2013 novel, which aired on Youtube from 2018 to 2019. In the end, Jumper remains a forgotten sci-fi film with potential that was never fully realized.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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