Geek vs Life

Can you imagine what it would be like to be able to travel from Seattle to Fiji in the blink of an eye for a glass of water? No 14-hour flight, just poof and you’re there, and then bam, you’re back. If you were a “Jumper,” (in the movie of the same name) then you could. Heck, you could be there and back before your show comes back from a commercial break.

A “jumper” is someone who is gifted with the power to be anywhere at any second. Call it teleportation, call it spatial projection, call it jump gating, whatever, in this movie it’s just jumping. Sounds like an almost godlike power doesn’t it?

Well an army of Paladins led by Samuel L. Jackson would tend to agree with you, seeing how they believe that only God should have the ability to be everywhere and anywhere at once. Add a century long war between both the Jumpers and the Paladins, sprinkle on a cheesy dialog, cram it full of cool visual effects and you have yourself a movie.

Problems are omni-present though. Hayden Christensen (in the role of David Rice) is a mold actor. I’m still waiting to see him act another part than that of the tortured-soul-teenager in need of acceptance.
Then again, why stray away from your bread and butter? He got to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels without ever really dropping the gloom factor and made millions.

Next problem: the script. Some of the lines like “Why are you walking?” and responses like “I like walking for a change!” Not only seemed trite, but were downright preposterous. That makes me feel normal.

Of course, there are positive notes too. Nearly every visual aspect of the movie makes it worth while. The locals such as Egypt, Rome, Grand Canyon and an ice shelf and all shot brilliantly. The visual effects are astounding. For example there is a car scene in which the car that they are in keeps blinking in and out of traffic, right, left and in front of different cars. All were beautifully done.

Now if only someone was actually chasing the car as opposed to them just joy riding and causing traffic woes for innocent civilian that would have been fantastic. The fight scenes were also done very nicely. Blinking in and out to land another punch.

“Jumper” is a good movie if all you want is to suspend disbelief and have a popcorn moment. Look for no substance here.

-Originally published by the Shoreline Community College student paper, the Ebbtide-