Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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83 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, fun movie, April 24, 2008
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".
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Jumper, Worth Watching for Science Fiction Fans, Give it a Try!, March 7, 2008
Jumper [Theatrical Release]
"Jumper" is a good movie that will appeal to science fiction lovers, comic book junkies and anybody who's ever wanted to travel the world without blowing their bank account. The story is simple, the special effects and international sets are amazing, and the acting is ... well you can't have anything. The young actors here are given very few lines to work with and might not meet the high standards of those who want every movie, including an action fantasy movie, to have award worthy acting.
Many people will have to wonder what I wondered when I first read the reviews here: did I see the same movie as everybody else? Why has this movie been panned by so many people?
Fans of the original novel tend to be against this movie because it deviates from the original story and offers a much more film-friendly short version. Jumper: A Novel (Jumper) There was a "prequel" story written to transition fans to this story, and you can check out those reviews to see their reactions. Jumper: Jumpscars - The Official Prequel to the Film (Jumper)
I appreciate great acting, but I didn't expect Indiana Jones to win for best actor. I likewise didn't expect too much from this acting-wise. Hayden Christensen may not the most expressive actor, but the kid is young! Be realistic! Actually, Bilson's portrayal as Millie was much less impressive, an overly flirty one-dimensional take. And Samuel L. Jackson was almost getting paid twice for the role he played in "Unbreakable," except here his character has the weapons and the strength to really fight the heroes.
Many people also seem to want more back-story and explainations for the science behind his ability to teleport. Yet don't the backstories in most movies like this make them even less believable? How often in life do people stop in the middle of something to explain how and why everything is happening? I was glad that they didn't waste time trying to explain a work of imagination. This is a science fiction concept, nothing more.
This movie, when viewed as just a movie, is great entertainment and very fun to watch. Coming into this just as a movie-goer with no preconceived notions, I loved it. I could suspend disbelief because I know how to let my imagination go when it comes to science fiction.
Essentially, Hayden Christensen plays a young kid who is bullied at school and harassed by an alcoholic father. He discovers his ability to teleport, and soon is making a new life for himself teleporting all over the world. He soon discovers he's not the only "Jumper" out there, and that a group of paladins are determined to find and kill jumpers. He returns to his hometown to find his high school crush, and has to deal with telling her his secret ability.
The pacing was really well done. This movie moves along very quickly. It may leave a lot of unanswered questions but it also never leaves you dragging. The score is well done, but there could have been more songs to create a real soundtrack. They make up for it by moving from location to location with amazing cinematography.
And let me tell you, the sets are amazing! The camera work on top of Big Ben, at the Sphinx, on the Pyramids, and on and on, it was all amazing. For those wide shots alone it's worth seeing in the theatres. I was so jealous this guy could go wherever he wanted, from Europe to Africa to Asia. I can't wait for the DVD to find out which locations were shot on set and which were created via CGI or some other means.
Other special effects are impressive as well, as we see the "residue" of the jumper's as they teleport. The paladins also have their own tools which are perhaps not as cool. There's also an amazing couple of fight scenes that are peppered in.
The movie does end very quickly, and is clearly based on a plot designed for sequels. That leaves the story with a lot of loose ends. Still, I for one would gladly subject myself to a sequel, even look forward to one.
If you want realism, going to see a fantasy thriller isn't going to give it to you. If you want fun and love science fiction or comics, this movie is fun to watch.
Enjoy!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun sci-fi action adventure, neat extras, June 11, 2008
I went into watching this movie with lowered expectations. After all, this film didn't do all that well in theatres, and from information I had read/heard, the film itself was started and stopped and then restarted again with virtually everything about the film changing in the process. Basically I expected it to be a bit of a train wreck that likely couldn't live up to the relatively neat promise of the main premise: the star character was someone that found he had the ability to teleport anywhere instantly.
Pleasantly enough the movie doesn't do a bad job in delivering a fun ride. Sure enough, the star does have the ability to teleport anywhere but his ability comes with potential consequences as there are people who believe that no one should have the power and ability that he, or others like him, has and those people will stop at nothing to permanently stop 'jumpers'.
Hayden Christensen plays the lead role here with Samuel L. Jackson (with bright white hair) playing the leader of the opposing side. Christensen does well enough in his role, and Samuel L. Jackson delivers a solid enough performance as well. Add in reasonable performances from the supporting cast, mix with some action and adventure in the form of good vs. evil fight scenes set in exotic locations and you get a movie that does a reasonable job delivering on the responsibility of being entertaining. No it's not academy award type stuff, but it's good enough. Were half star ratings possible, it'd be 3.5 for me. Without the half star rating system, I'm rounding up to 4 stars.
Picture on the Blu-ray disc looks quite nice. The movie is relatively short, with a somewhat family friendly PG-13 rating which seems mostly related to the action and violence in the fight scenes (and perhaps a little related to a scene that finds the female lead stripping her shirt off...) Little or no objectionable language.
Turn your brain off a bit going in and you should find Jumper reasonably entertaining. Certainly worth a viewing via rental, though thanks to a load of extras, the Blu-ray package isn't a bad purchase.
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