Maybe it's because I went in to it with low expectations but I enjoyed the hell out of this movie! Is it a perfect movie? No, far from it. However I had just come off an early morning shift at work, I was tired as hell and just wanted to see a nice movie that didn't require too much thought so I could wind down. As it was a Thursday and a 3:45pm show I was the only one in the cinema! Absolute heaven, I can pretend I'm famous or something and have booked the whole place out so I can have some privacy! So I sit down with my Ben and Jerry's and the movie starts. There's a sequence that lasts maybe 15 minutes that gives some back story to the main character, David, from when he was 15 and started 'jumping'. Lovely special effects follow and David does things we'd all do if we could teleport or 'jump', rob a bank, go to exotic locations, etc. And then we're into the present day. David has a nice apartment, nice stuff, fancies a trip to London. All is going well until Sam Jackson shows up and ruins it for him. There's a bit of lovey dovey stuff and then there's plenty of frantic 'jump' escapes, some 'jump' fights and the movie ends on a relatively satisfying note.
All in all it was better than I expected and exactly what I was looking for.
But this movie could be so much better. It has a short running time, 88 minutes. Almost surely because of the size of the budget. It must have been astronomical as almost every scene has a 'jump' effect. Add to that the multiple locations and I'd say they could only afford 88 minutes. Because of these everything feels rushed. There is a lot more that could have been touched on. How do the Jumpers 'jump'? Do they need to have visited the place first or would just a picture do? What is physically different about them? Why do they have sworn enemies that have stayed enemies for hundreds of years? Where did the bad guys get their cool weapons? How are Jumpers made? Is it passed down through generations? But with the time constraint these questions can't be addressed. What the movie does do is go out of its way to set up a sequel. Painfully so in fact as the ending feels like the end of an act rather than the end of a movie. But this could have franchise potential. 'Jumping' is a cool power. He could be a modern superhero with the ready made sworn enemies. The effects are great. I even felt Hayden Skywalker was quite good in the part contrary to what others seem to think.
If it does go to a sequel I'd like to see much more background into the whole 'jumping' thing and a good storyline. Make the running time longer and cut down on some of the action shots to stay within budget.
So in conclusion Jumper is a fun, action packed, special effects heavy movie that will entertain you if you don't have too high hopes for it. It's not going to win any Oscars but that doesn't matter and it has potential for some good sequels.
Recommended for days when you just want to be entertained.
All in all it was better than I expected and exactly what I was looking for.
But this movie could be so much better. It has a short running time, 88 minutes. Almost surely because of the size of the budget. It must have been astronomical as almost every scene has a 'jump' effect. Add to that the multiple locations and I'd say they could only afford 88 minutes. Because of these everything feels rushed. There is a lot more that could have been touched on. How do the Jumpers 'jump'? Do they need to have visited the place first or would just a picture do? What is physically different about them? Why do they have sworn enemies that have stayed enemies for hundreds of years? Where did the bad guys get their cool weapons? How are Jumpers made? Is it passed down through generations? But with the time constraint these questions can't be addressed. What the movie does do is go out of its way to set up a sequel. Painfully so in fact as the ending feels like the end of an act rather than the end of a movie. But this could have franchise potential. 'Jumping' is a cool power. He could be a modern superhero with the ready made sworn enemies. The effects are great. I even felt Hayden Skywalker was quite good in the part contrary to what others seem to think.
If it does go to a sequel I'd like to see much more background into the whole 'jumping' thing and a good storyline. Make the running time longer and cut down on some of the action shots to stay within budget.
So in conclusion Jumper is a fun, action packed, special effects heavy movie that will entertain you if you don't have too high hopes for it. It's not going to win any Oscars but that doesn't matter and it has potential for some good sequels.
Recommended for days when you just want to be entertained.