As a teenager, David Rice (Hayden Christensen) discovered he had the ability to teleport when a bully dunked him in a freezing river. Years later, David is living the high life in the big city, using his powers to rob bank vaults, go anywhere and do whatever he wants. But the discovery of fellow 'jumper' Griffin (Jamie Bell) alerts David to the mysterious Paladins, a force dedicated to eliminating teleporters. Led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), the Paladins target David, his father and childhood sweetheart Millie (Rachel Bilson). Now David must use his abilities to save everything he holds dear, or die in the attempt.
Having fine-tuned his action honcho skills on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a fun popcorn flick bolstered by bombastic set-pieces, Doug Liman tries his hand at sci-fi. A slick, streamlined spectacle, Jumper runs with its neat concept and comes up with the goods; tight-knit plotting, spectacular special effects and breathless fighting sequences. Christensen carries the movie as David, the pouty protagonist who employs his powers to satisfy his needs rather than the greater good, and Jackson is on scene-stealing form as a religious fanatic ready to kill for his belief that only God should be able to be in all places at once. Sporting a snazzy snowy crew cut, Jackson is a formidable force armed with electric cables and a machete. What happened to turning the other cheek?
Feverish, frenetic fare, Jumper is sure to have a sequel tucked up its sleeve.
Jumper is a Film programme that first aired in 2008 and has been classified a 12 certificate.
