"JUMPER"
Starring Hayden Christensen,
Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane,
Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson
Released: Feb. 14, 2008

WATCH THE TRAILER

A phenomenal story whose potential isn't quite reached in this nevertheless entertaining film.

WHEN ANYWHERE IS possible, life is easy. Run away from your abusive father, rob a bank or two, then rent out a fancy apartment and travel the world. You can have anything, go anywhere, and do anything.

You can, when you can teleport. When he found out this was possible for him, David Rice (Hayden Christensen) — the main character in the new film “Jumper” — took full advantage of it.

He ran away from his life as he knew it: his loser of a father, his runaway mother, and his one true love, Millie (Rachel Bilson).

After a few years of a lavish lifestyle, David's past catches up to him. Authorities find out his identity from his first bank robbery, and someone else finds out through the authorities — someone David was completely ignorant of, yet whom he should fear the most.

What David has yet to discover is that his kind, the “Jumpers,” have been hunted for centuries by a group of die-hard religious enemies who have sworn to eliminate the Jumpers.

Their present leader, Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), is determined to hunt down and kill David on the account of Roland's belief that only God should be allowed to be all places at once.

After a near escape from Roland's electrically charged weapon that restricts Jumpers from teleporting, David finds refuge in his old room at his father's house.

While back in his hometown, he finds Millie again. She's impressed by David's lie that he is now a successful banker and how he invites her on a vacation to Rome.

Astonished by his presence after thinking she had surely witnessed his death in a frozen river years ago, she agrees to run off with him. She has no idea what they are running from.

Millie is now caught up in the life of a Jumper — always hiding or on the run. When David discovers his loved ones are now is danger, his fellow friend and Jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell), agrees to end this war between Jumpers and those sworn to kill them once and for all. This is where the real action begins.

Fantastic landscapes and cities are popped in and out of through teleportation in this war. With more than a dozen filming locations all around the world, “Jumpers” has some breathtaking scenes. The most notable is on top of the Sphinx in Giza, Egypt. Others include Paris, Rome, and Tokyo.

If not for these beautiful locations, the good filming, and the special effects of teleporting, I would have enjoyed this movie a lot less. There was nothing particularly stunning about the acting; Bilson was not good at all, and Christensen was your typical good-looking guy.

The thing that immediately depleted the movie's intensity was the very beginning, where David Rice is a young high school boy just discovering his abilities. His story is narrated by the older David Rice, which gives a cheesy first impression of the movie. Oh well. It'll surely get better after this bit, I thought.

The movie, directed by Doug Liman — who made “Swingers” and “The Bourne Identity” — continued to be “typical”; no enthralling twist or event raised my interest. Still, “Jumpers” proved to be entertaining, not least because of the battle scenes, the teleporting to amazing locations, and Samuel L. Jackson's snow-white hair.

Despite its shortcomings, this is an action movie that will fill your desire for entertainment and round off a night out with some friends.

“Jumper” is currently playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy, and the Beverly 18, 910 Meijers Drive, Champaign.

“JUMPER” AT A GLANCE

• Starring: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson
• Directed by: Doug Liman
• Written by: David S. Goyer (screenplay), Jim Uhls (screenplay), Simon Kinberg (screenplay), Steven Gould (novel)
• Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Drama
• Rated: PG-13
• Runtime: 90 min.
• Release date: Feb. 14, 2008
• Summary: A genetic anomaly allows David Rice to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between “Jumpers” and those who have sworn to kill them.
• External sites: IMDb entry, Official site