ODMR: Jumper

My Netflix account is still on hold, but I got a coupon for a free movie on Time Warner On-Demand, so I took advantage of it and saw Jumper, which was a modest hit earlier this year. After watching it though, I can only imagine people under the age of 18 enjoyed this one. Everything from the characterization to the visual styling of the film is aimed at a teenage market. The film had an interesting enough premise; Hayden Christiansen discovers he can jump to anywhere he wants in the world and Samuel L. Jackson is out to kill him. Sadly, the film never rises about this concept. The war between 'jumpers' and the bad guys, known as Paladins is never fully explained. The film also introduces some moral, social, religious, and pyschological issues yet never delves into any of them. It's bad enough that the film never answers any questions, but it's even worse that none of the characters in the film seem bothered enough by what's going on to even ask the questions. Perhaps most baffling is the film's protagonist, David (Christiansen). He doesn't use his power for good and doesn't have any real redeeming qualities. He's not an anti-hero; he's a slacker who uses his power for menial, selfish gains. Which is why I said the film probably appeals to a lot of teenagers. The visuals of the jumping are initially cool, but grow tiresome after a while. At a brisk 88 minutes, it's inoffensive enough to be considered mindless entertainment, but it's a shame to see an interesting story get watered down into nothing more than eye candy. Rating: **