Jumper (DVD, 2009, Single Disc)

I went to see Jumper with some of my family when it was released, and I have to say I enjoyed it very much. I've liked Hayden Christensen since I saw "Life as a House," and Samuel L. just rips up a villain role like nobody's business. The special effects were very well done and I was delighted to find that the main storyline they implied in the commercials is NOT what happened! Sure, the main character can teleport, but the rest.... The movie is billed as scifi/thriller type, but that's a bit misleading. This is more like the Highlander films, a fantasy element in the real world.

The movie was pretty fast paced with only a couple slower moments, and the character's self-exploration once he discovers the ability was almost as good as Peter Parker's in the first Spider-Man movie. Actually, in one way it was better. Peter uses his power to win a wrestling match and then jumps right into the hero role. Our similarly-aged jumper, however, jumps right into a bank vault, and a store, and...! *grin* He really is an ordinary person with an extraordinary ability. He used his ability for theft, but also for taking his surfboard to Fiji for the best waves. I liked the movie enough that I quickly ordered the book. They are COMPLETELY different, but both good for different reasons. The movie added a opposing force for jumpers (i.e. a "villain") whereas in the book, David mostly battles his own inner demons (with a lot of introspection). Plus, the very cool character of Griffin was completely made-up for the film. His character adds great action while giving viewers another jumper to identify with besides David. Though the movie had closure, they left it wide open for a sequel that I really hope gets made.

I think some viewers were overly critical of this film. It's not going to win any oscars, but I was entertained and that's the most important criteria.

As to the DVD itself, I have to say, do NOT buy the 2-disc edition. The second disk contains only a digital copy. All the extras are on disc one, which the regular edition has! I really wish the product description had been more clear on this. I wouldn't have paid the additional $6 for a digital copy which you have to use a keycode to transfer. The code is located on a card in the case, but it clearly states to be careful not to lose it. Also, the outer sleeve has a holographic image of the cover art that is glued to the front of the sleeve. I don't see it lasting long. Finally, once again the studio includes ads in the case, but no insert with chapter index and extra features.

The extra features were pretty standard. There's commentary, making of, interviews with the authors/producer etc, book to film featurette, and some deleted scenes (all of which I felt were rightly cut from the film). The interviews were interesting sinc ethey touched on how the producer obviously changed the book, and how the author felt. Nothing spectacular here, but for a single disc edition these were perfectly fine - and far more than they offered with "the Bourne Ultimatium".

Jumper is a good little action flick that will take your mind away from your troubles. The movie stars Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson.

The basic idea of the movie is David (Christensen) learns that he has the fantastic power to "Jump" or go through self created worm holes to locations that he has been to or sees. The power manifests itself for the first time on screen when his life is in danger.

After learning to control this power David flees his abusive home and lives the life of luxury due to the fact he "borrows" some money from banks.

Jackson's Character is named Roland. He leads a band of jumper killers called the Paladin's. He is totally obsessed with killing any unnatural jumper he finds. The Paladin's are almost a quasi religious cult that we find out have been hunting jumpers for centuries.

Overall the movie is basically just a sci-fi relaxation. It is good but there is nothing "special" about the movie. Fun for a Saturday night.

Grab the popcorn!

4/5

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

What happens when a lovestruck young Man offers a pretty Girl a gift and a stupid bully steps in and shows what a dumb*** he really is?? Simple the young Man discovers he has special powers..after discovering he can jump from one place to another in a blink of the eye this young Man does a stupid thing he becomes a bank robber, his constant jumping draws the attention of a group of zealots who hunt down and kill Jumpers calling it "Gods work"..isn't that how maniacal religious zealots always act..they commit murder and say it's in Gods name..doesn't it say in the bible "thou shalt not kill" duh! After being nearly killed by one zealot played by Samuel L Jackson he returns to his hometown (not the smartest thing in the world for him to do) he tries to do so quietly, but is seen he finally makes his move on his ladly love and all hell breaks loose, throw in dear old Moms secret and you have a recipe for a jaw dropper..this movie has the right mix of action, comedy, romance, twists and turns and edge of your seat suspense..the thing I liked the most about this movie is, it ended the right way..no copouts, no fluff, just a good old fashioned ending the makers of this fun flick can be proud of! I give this movie 5 out of 5 bars just for the sheer genious and fun of it all!

I can't remember the last time I watched a movie and then immediately watched it a second time and third time. That's precisely what I did when I saw Jumper.

Hayden Christensen was riveting in his role as David Rice, a person that discovers a natural talent for teleportation. This topic and idea hasn't been done in cinema until now, and that's precisely what makes this movie so original and fun.

Similarly, Samuel Jackson's character made the movie work. Jackson, as he often does, carried the movie on his shoulders with his strong portrayal of Roland Cox. In fact, it might be cinematic karma that Samuel Jackson's character actually hunts down and attempts to kill Christensen's character. Why do I say this is cinematic karma? Because you'll recall that it was Christensen's Anakin Skywalker that effectively killed Jackson's Mace Windu in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.

There are several twists and turns in this movie that make it both fun and engaging. I'm eagerly awaiting a sequel and I'm quite sure there will be one since the ending implied a sequel.

As for the DVD, I only watched the special features on the wide screen side, and it was an anime version of David Rice having to fight against Roland. I believe this was a concept mini film used in the development of the movie, even though the scene depicted had no resemblence to any in the movie.

Jumper is a good movie. This movie is full of action and humor. This movie also has a good storyline. I would recommend it to others. This movie has some great stars in it, like Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jamie Bell. This movie is about how a young man is able to teleport himself anywhere, and I mean anywhere. He goes to some neat places throughout the movie. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been going on for thousands of years between “Jumpers” and those who have sworn to kill him.

If you find my review helpful please remember to vote.

~610markw~
Sam