“Jumper” an exercise in special effects overload

What may have been an interesting idea for a story - a young man learning he can transport himself anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye - quickly turns into an exercise in special effects overload. Audiences had the right to expect better from Doug Liman, the maker of “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. A promising beginning is slowly erased by director and cast, as a weak plotline, poorly developed characters, and sub-par acting rule the day. You would assume battles between people with superhuman powers and a secret society would not become tedious - but watching “Jumper”, you would be proven wrong.

Hayden Christensen (Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith) stars as David, a young man who learns he is a transporter. He takes this newfound ability and disappears, leaving behind a rotten family life and living a new life of anonymity. His morality waxes and wanes, as he breaks into banks to fund his increasingly lavish lifestyle but leaves IOU notes in his wake. David learns he is not the only person with these powers and that transporters have a well-funded organization seeking to stop them. Samuel L. Jackson (“1408”) plays the tough guy leader of this group, which uses an amalgamation of a tazer and a grappling hook, to battle their foes. Once David learns how perilous the world is, he wants nothing more than to spend time with his old high school flame, Millie (Rachel Bilson; TV‘s “The O.C.”), which puts her in danger.

Christensen is a poor leading man in this sci-fi action movie. Many of the same criticisms of his acting abilities from “Star Wars“ continue to haunt him in this new tale. His character, David, appears to be mostly a whiny man-boy, who occasionally tries to look tough but doesn’t care much about those around him. There is zero chemistry between Millie and him, as their relationship feels forced and more like a plot device. Jackson’s character is entirely one-dimensional as the supposed bad guy, who looks angry and snarls through most of his lines. His organization’s history and motivations are never really explained.

Much of the early empathy with the main character comes from his relationship to his parents, however their lives and motivations are woefully under explored. David and his fellow transporters don’t take much in their lives seriously. They are more like slackers than heroes, and become increasingly difficult to root for. The special effects of transportation, while initially cool, are done to death until it becomes more of an eyesore than incredible. Putting some limitations on the transporting ability would have been a good start to making the film feel more grounded. Instead, anything becomes possible, making nothing particularly special. While the writers and director hint around that this is a superhero movie, the characters just don’t seem cut out for it. Apparently, there is more to being a superhero than having powers - which “Jumper” strikingly proves.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.