Jumper

"Take a deep breath." - David Rice, Jumper

And so I did.

I was bored and pissed yesterday afternoon so I decided to watch a decent film at a nearby cinema. Of course, I was on a very very tight budget being unemployed and dependent to my parents. Haha. :) Anyways, I opted to watch Jumper rather than My Bestfriend's Girlfriend (I'm not in the mood for cheesy stuff) , Juno (I watched the movie last month), The Spiderwick Chronicles (I'd rather read the series), and The Mist (huh?) thinking that it would appease my bored and wounded Ego (Do I even have one?). Unfortunately, it didn't.

Jumper, a film based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same title by Steven Gould, talks about David Rice (Hayden Christensen) and his extraordinary ability to teleport or "jump" himself to any part of the globe in a blink of an eye leaving only a trail of sub-atomic dust. Being a quasi-outcast/loser in high school with a negligent father, David used his power to escape his former life and build a new one in New York. Unfortunately, a group of not-so-gifted yet intelligent individuals called Paladins, led by Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson), hunt jumpers around the globe using high-voltage cable wires. Their motives? Hmm. "Only God can use this power." Haha. As expected, there were some action encounters in various parts of the globe, not to mention a piece of cheesy-ish angle with Millie (Rachel Bilson), his childhood sweetheart, just to spice everything. Of course, the movie ended with the usual good-guy-gets-the-girl fashion with tint of maternal conflict resolution (SPOILER: David's mother is a Paladin).

The visual effects were tolerable but the scenery was definitely astounding. From the Colosseum of Rome, the busy streets of Tokyo, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, a traditional pub at Dublin, the Madison Square in New York, and the Big Ben in London. Talk about shooting locations! My favorite part would have to be the scene where Hayden was standing at the Big Ben tower holding a typical umbrella while wearing a stylish gray coat. Super nice! Plus the part where David and Griffin (Jamie Bell), another jumper, stole a Mercedes Benz via Jump sequence in Tokyo. Totally cool! :)

The only problem that I encountered during the course of the film was the fact that there was no clear and specific explanation on how Jumpers came to existence (DNA mutation, scientific experimentation, etc.) and why Paladins hunt them down (aside from the aforementioned premise). Also, the action sequence was so limited to paladins aiming/shooting electric wires/whips at an inadequate number of jumpers (2 or 3 only) and jumpers dodging them or giving basic jabs/punches. Come on! A decent punch-teleport-kick-teleport-kill succession would have enhanced the whole experience.

Overall, the film was good. It somehow delayed the rapid onset of my relentless boredom and took my mind off of things. Hayden Christensen has, to some extent, grown outside the Star Wars trilogy, although he still needs to polish his acting skills.

He is so amiable. :)

Coffee, anyone?