Movies: Jumper

[neverendingwhitelights]

What are everyones thoughts and impressions on it so far? My personal opinion was...

Meh.

It's movies like this that make me love TV more. This was a decent concept that would have been much better served as a TV series, than a movie. Some things moved too quickly and other were too slow. Characters weren't very fleshed out, I didn't care about the hero, and special effects were not that great.

It wasn't a terrible movie, but it's close. It's just filler. I hope Wanted doesn't end up like this, because I know it's a similarish concept, but I liked Wanted a lot more. I know they're obviously going to neuter some of it, and skip over a lot of what made it good, but I just hope against hope it's not as bad as Jumper. Wasting my breath on that one though, probably.

What did you all think?

[diane]

Okay, I need to know, is this okay for a kid? He likes the preview and wants to see it, but I am a little concerned. And since the odds of me seeing it before I could take him is rather slim, I just need to know...how is the violence level?
Any kids die?
Any animals die?

Those are the two big ones for him.

Thanks!

[iggystar]

No children die, they are put in precarious situations once or twice. No animals die. The violence wasn't graphic on the level of your average PG-13 action flick, not lots of blood, not too gory.

I would let Mini-star see it.

[diane]

No children die, they are put in precarious situations once or twice. No animals die. The violence wasn't graphic on the level of your average PG-13 action flick, not lots of blood, not too gory.

I would let Mini-star see it.

Perfect! I think we will do a double feature then tomorrow! Jumper and the Spiderwick Chronicles. I already promised him that one. He loved the books so it will turn into a really great day for him. For once in a long time, he will be allowed to see the TRS movie and he gets to see Spiderwick.

He so owes me.

[iggystar]

Perfect! I think we will do a double feature then tomorrow! Jumper and the Spiderwick Chronicles. I already promised him that one. He loved the books so it will turn into a really great day for him. For once in a long time, he will be allowed to see the TRS movie and he gets to see Spiderwick.

He so owes me.

Double features are so much fun!

I actually enjoyed Jumper quite a bit myself, but I think I'm going to be in the minority with that opinion. Still, I think a young guy would think it's pretty cool.

I'm interested in seeing more reviews of this one.

[taozoo4u]

Perfect! I think we will do a double feature then tomorrow! Jumper and the Spiderwick Chronicles. I already promised him that one. He loved the books so it will turn into a really great day for him. For once in a long time, he will be allowed to see the TRS movie and he gets to see Spiderwick.

He so owes me.

Diane there are some obscenities in this movie someone does use the F word but thats basically the worst thing that happens, hope you have fun!

[diane]

Diane there are some obscenities in this movie someone does use the F word but thats basically the worst thing that happens, hope you have fun!

Curse words have never really bothered me. He hears worse when I watch Face the Nation or Meet the Press. ;)

[spookyttws]

The movie delivered exactly what I expected of it. Fun special effects, high peril situations, and the question of "What would I do if I had this power?" It's not a good movie, character/story wise, but because it's relatively short, and action packed it's a perfect popcorn movie. Had this came out when I was between 8 and 13, I think this would have made for a great weekend film.

[MaxTheSilent]

Doug Liman has become quite an accomplished hack. But the unavoidable fact is that Hayden Christensen is simply an non-entity on screen. He has nothing going on behind the eyes in any of his roles. And I'm not another typical Anakin-hater; even in the touted roles like LIFE IS A HOUSE and SHATTERED GLASS he's merely a competent technician.

You might as well have cast that (barely) animated zombie Freddie Prinze Jr. in this movie.

Also, the above poster mentioned WANTED. Well considering the director of those utterly incomprehensible NIGHT WATCH movies I have very little hope that this movie will rise above the idiocy on display in the trailer.

[EddieLee]

It was pretty terrible...

there was ONE bad ass moment but that does not make up for the whole movie. Hugely disappointed, a shame since there was so much potential but it was so weak.

[KilroyPerrywinkle]

To me comparing these kind of movies to powerful dramas, or epics like LOTHRs or any other Oscar caliber movies is like comparing Root Beer Floats to a good Red Wine.

You just can't.

People need to stop thinking every movie is going to be the next Schindler's List.

Eeesh sometimes its just good to have a Rootbeer Float ya snobs.

[MatTipton]

I had low expectations... that said, I'll say that I did like it more than I thought I would. Overall, pretty average as expected. I'd say it wasn't necessarily terrible or anything but there was a lot lacking... so for me, it's just usually hard to ignore so many weaknesses.

[jasonpoon]

Jumper really disappointed me...very much
I didn't expect too much but it only delivers some cool special effect, that's all.
(as I remember, 95% of the cool moments have been seen in the trailer)

Teleport skill is interesting. The movie could do much much better. Maybe emphasize more about David and his father, it could be a great storyline. And the plot about David's mom is terrible.

Jamie Bell is really bad ass (especially the "teleport punch"), they should give him more action sequence.

[mattk]

I was about to pull my wife out the door to go see it, but looked up the rating on rotten tomatoes last night it had like a 6%. It's up to 15% now, but man that is awful. So we bailed on it.

[tectec]

I was expecting a lot more when I saw the preview, but I won't say I hated it. There are some pretty cool moments and the overall concept of teleporting around and being chased is awesome.

I really liked Jamie Bell's character but there was no real connection to Hayden Christensen's character. It wasn't that great of a performance but a lot of that has to do with the story. There was no real reason to get behind the hero and root for him. He was more of a cocky prick than a hero. The only time I really felt something for him was when the girl was being like the most annoying b*tch ever and wouldn't just trust him and go along when they had to quickly get out out of a certain situation.

The special effects were pretty damn cool. There was a ton of action/fight sequences too. Although some had me wondering why they were only teleporting a few feet here or there in certain fights, even when they weren't affected by anything that stops them from being able to use their ability.

I would have loved any more information on those who were chasing the jumpers. Were they leaving that out for a sequel?

[johnnysix]

To me comparing these kind of movies to powerful dramas, or epics like LOTHRs or any other Oscar caliber movies is like comparing Root Beer Floats to a good Red Wine.

You just can't.

People need to stop thinking every movie is going to be the next Schindler's List.

Eeesh sometimes its just good to have a Rootbeer Float ya snobs.

I know sometimes I don't want something heavy, I just want some fun. Jumper was like watered down light beer people. The whole experience left me feeling kind of hollow. I never had any investment in any of the characters and even Samuel L J felt like he just wanted a paycheck. Even most of the action sequences felt lackluster. I really expected a LOT better from Doug Liman.

[neverendingwhitelights]

I really expected a LOT better from Doug Liman.

I'll second that. Basically every single movie he's done before I have either really liked or loved, so I had a feeling this would at least be worth the money. Maybe the blame rests with the writers though, because even if you put a pretty bow on a turd, it's still a turd.

[deegraww]

I liked it. I also hated it. I've read all three books and had they just gone with the first book and not try to cram 3 books into one movie (which was odd because it was pretty short) it would have been better.

The acting was about what I thought it would be based on the cast. So that wasn't really my concern I just wanted to go for the story and the special effects. The later was the only saving grace. It was close to X-men 2 with nightcrawler (which was epic best movie opening ever!) but with more flare so to speak.

Also I wish John Powell would have had more of a score with this movie. I love his work and if you have seen the bourne movies you should know what I'm talking about (all three movie scores are good for working out, cleaning, playing a video game they just rock).

All in all I don't feel that my ticket price was wasted. I didn't think it was going to be the best movie but I know it would be fun to watch and it was. Also the Indy Trailer before it has me very hyped to see that movie.

I can't say this enough if you think the trailer looks good Please please!!! read the books. Reflex will be hard to find but the did a reprint of Jumper and Jumper Griffon's story. Two different main characters but both good reads.

[diane]

Okay, so I did see two movies back to back, and I was with Anakin, and his excitement feeds my excitement, so I am sure that is influencing it a lot. But I liked it. Was it epic, God no. But it was fun. It was fun to watch and the I liked the plot. And when he mentioned the Marvel team up, I laughed loudly.

Of course I did just come in from watching kids fight goblins, so my adrenalin was already up there.

Now for Anakin's reaction. He now wants to be a jumper. He has felt the need to jump off my couch, off my bed and out of various doorways, making his own booming sound effect. He has discussed the plot hole (as he sees it) around the mom vs son set-up and how that could never really happen because a mom wouldn't do that. He also asked why they were not all electrocuted since he was being shocked and they landed in water. My answer was for him to go take a shower and get into pajamas.

But the coolest thing was the preview before had. The Indy preview on the big screen got him over his fear of seeing the Lost Ark. So I am off to the living room to watch a truly fantastic film.

[psbp516]

Good things about this movie:

Griffin

/that's it

[KilroyPerrywinkle]

But the coolest thing was the preview before had. The Indy preview on the big screen got him over his fear of seeing the Lost Ark. So I am off to the living room to watch a truly fantastic film.

To me that makes the film worth every penny....

Stuff like that is why I cannot wait for my daughter to be born. (Come on June 8th!) I love sharing experiences like movies and TV shows with people and idea of being able to read my favorite books to her, and experience my favorite movies through her eyes is almost too rad.

[joedubbs]

This wasn't one of my most highly anticipated movies i.e. Dan but a friend of mine was really hyped to see it so I tagged along because it seemed to be an interesting premise. I guess because of my low expectations I was okay with the movie. Like everyone says it wasn't fantastic but I enjoyed the movie and the scenery. I would recommend this movie to someone that wants to go have fun with a movie for a bit.

The one thing I thought would have helped was as someone mentioned the "jumping" of short distances, i.e. to the remote on the couch, around the apartment, it just seemed silly to me that they wanted to get the point across and at times I grew tired of the effect because it was just meaningless at the time. However when Griffin is jumping around the colisseum was epic.

Overall I enjoyed it, I'm seriously concerned about Wanted. I've lowered my expectations on that one but like Jumper I'll still go see it and hopefully that will help me enjoy the flick.

[diane]

To me that makes the film worth every penny....

Stuff like that is why I cannot wait for my daughter to be born. (Come on June 8th!) I love sharing experiences like movies and TV shows with people and idea of being able to read my favorite books to her, and experience my favorite movies through her eyes is almost too rad.

Your daughter is very lucky. And there are so many things out there so you can start right away.

Anakin's first sci-fi movie was the 5th Element. It was perfect. Great music, beautiful colors, big explosions without really seeing any blood or anything. He had lines memorized by 2 years old. It is a good intro, especially since you have a really cool chick character for her to idolize. Highly recommend it.

[kylejn]

I saw Jumper yesterday, and thought it was absolutely terrible. I didn't have huge hopes for it, but figured it'd be decently entertaining, but boy, was I mistaken. The special effects were good, but the plot was just all over the place. They never really made it very clear how he teleports (sometimes it seems like he has to see where he wants to go, either in a photo or in real life; other times, he can just imagine it), the subplot with the mom was the very definition of tacked on, jeez, I could go on and on.

Don't see this movie. I saw it at a matinée price and still feel ripped off.

[KilroyPerrywinkle]

Your daughter is very lucky. And there are so many things out there so you can start right away.

Anakin's first sci-fi movie was the 5th Element. It was perfect. Great music, beautiful colors, big explosions without really seeing any blood or anything. He had lines memorized by 2 years old. It is a good intro, especially since you have a really cool chick character for her to idolize. Highly recommend it.

Cheekin... goood... cheekin... I love that movie.

I'm big into the Discworld book series, and Pratchett is awesome at writing strong smart female characters. The Tiffany Aching series is great, (Hatful of sky, Wintersmith, The Wee Free Men) its awesome. I re command it for Anakin too, its got 3 inch tall blue Irish people running around drinking and fighting. Its along the same lines as Jim Henson's Labyrinth.

Wow... I totally just raped the crap out of this thread.

Whoopsie

[tomremixed]

I left this movie more brain dead than after seeing Die Hard 4. I liked it when it was still doing the back story but as soon as Hayden whatever showed up I realized that it had become a travel commercial.

[EddieLee]

I left this movie more brain dead than after seeing Die Hard 4. I liked it when it was still doing the back story but as soon as Hayden whatever showed up I realized that it had become a travel commercial.

Sums it up perfectly.

[kickarse]

Ebert and Roeper gave it a thumbs down. However, it was Scott and Roeper who reviewed it. They said it looked nice but it had no weight. Things just didn't connect.

Normally I don't link to anything yahoo but http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080217171045AAwAGBD

[Spock-tM]

The movie just opened today in New Zealand, just got home from seeing it.

So, after reading some people's takes on the film before hand, I wanted to know if it was worth seeing, there were alot of negative things being said. I figured, it has good ol' Sam J. so it can't be as bad as everyone was making it out to be... so I went and saw it anyway.


To tell the honest truth. I actually quite enjoyed it, I didn't need to know how they teleported, I just needed to know that people do, and that they have been for many many years. The story could have been fleshed out a little more, but I guess that's what the book is for ;) (ala Harry Potter) I had a good time, I understood the story and people's motivations, the scene with the people stranded on the rooftops on the television gave me an understanding of the type of person he was, and by the end he had changed a bit, began to understand that there was more of a reason for having this power, he ended up being 'different'. I would have liked a bit more of an understanding behind Rolands motives, why he thought Jumpers were always such a menace, what vexed him in the past to create such a distain for them. But meh, something that can be sorted in Jumper 2.

I've heard that they were hoping to make it into a trilogy, which I think I could enjoy, all the Marvel Team-up talk makes me think he's going to try and do something heroic next time, dunno, could be fun.

Once again, I liked it, don't know what people were expecting, but it was still fun :D

[tamtamg]

Movie was pretty bad. The only saving points for me was that some of it was shot in my hometown of ann arbor (my old highschool and some of my friends little siblings were in it). Beyond that the move was crap.

[Ethernz]

I saw this on Friday. I think the premise is awesome. And I agree with whoever it was earlier in the thread who said it would make a good TV show. The movie itself felt pretty thin. They were really only hinting at backstory rather then addressing it. I think I'll have to look up the books to get what I want. That being said I did enjoy it. I was in the mood for a light movie after a rough week at work.

Have to say though, I'm getting really sick of movies setting up sequels. What's wrong with making stand alone films so that we can have some actual plot resolution? Jumper pissed me off a bit because it felt like the first act, rather then a movie. You can still have storylines that are open to sequels but have them be "whole" at the same time.

[tsmith15]

In the trailer I saw on the TVs some reviewer said "Bourne meets The Matrix" and I saw good parts from neither represented. It was exactly what I expected out of it which was a lame excuse for some nifty fights (which must have been a bitch to shoot because they warped from place to place so goddamn fast) and nice special effects. Another big thing was that I thought the main character was a complete ass and I wanted him to die all the way through the movie. It would definitely make a better tv-show.