Not a movie about suicide or an electrical component
Marvel Comics, start talking to your lawyers, because somebody has done an unofficial movie adaptation based on one of your most beloved comic book character, the teleporting blue hero Nightcrawler. Like a typical X-men mutant, David Rice (Hayden Christensen) discovers his ability while he was still a teenager. Using his newfound skill to rob banks, globe-trot and get laid, Rice has been living the high life until he is finally noticed by NSA agent known only as Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), who hunts and kills people with abilities like Rice’s. Rice tries to evade Roland without revealing his powers to unsuspecting girlfriend Millie (Rachel Bilson), who thinks he’s a rich banker. With the help of fellow “jumper” Griffin (Jamie Bell), Rice has to figure out how to stop Roland before Roland catches up to him.
Watching Jumper, I kept getting a sense of deja vu for Star Wars, not just because of the re-teaming of Christensen and Jackson (Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu in the prequels), but because Jumper also shares the franchise’s penchant for awful dialogue and stilted acting. I can’t tell for sure if it’s the actors’ faults or the writer’s. Maybe it's director Doug Liman, but he did fine with The Bourne Identity, although Mr. and Mrs. Smith felt a little shaky. Recently, movie expert David Bordwell wrote an article about how editing could also influence the quality of an actor’s performance. He said that because the editor picks what goes into the final cut, he or she could very well be selecting the ones with the worse acting performances out of sheer bad judgment or prejudice against the actor or actors. In other words, it could have been anyone’s fault. What eventually transpires onscreen is everybody’s responsibility, so even though you didn’t personally pull the trigger, but you did little to prevent it either.
It’s not a complete train wreck, though, because at least they got the teleportation fantasy right. There’s just something exhilarating about being able to go anywhere in the world in an instant without any physical inhibitions (e.g. Hiro Nakamura from Heroes). Fed up of the freezing cold in New York? No problem, just hop over to Fiji for warmer climates and surf-ready beaches in the blink of an eye (or maybe even less). It’s something even Superman can’t do. The high point comes when Rice has to fight another jumper, which resulted in a brawl that materialised across several countries in a matter of minutes.
It’s worth a go just for the awesome teleportation bits, but the unbearably shoddy writing and performances may keep you from ever revisiting the world of Jumper, jumping abilities notwithstanding. - BMF
Directed by Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) and screenplay by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Blade Trinity), Jim Uhls (Sweet Talk, Fight Club) and Simon Kinberg (Got Next, X-men: The Last Stand). Stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Michael Rooker, AnnaSophia Robb, Max Thieriot, Tom Hulce, Kristen Stewart and Diane Lane. Based on the novel by Steven Gould. |
