20th Century Fox's latest action flick Jumper might possibly be the most ill-conceived movie I have seen in some time. The plot revolves around the character David Rice, decently played by Hayden Christensen, who realizes one day that he has the ability to travel or "jump" anywhere at any time by willing it. How, an audience member like myself might ask, can David manipulate the space-time continuum? Well, no explanations are offered at any point in the film, which might elucidate the movie's strongest theme: loose ends.
Fast-forward to the future - they don't specify how far - and David is living in a luxurious Manhattan apartment with secret rooms and other cool things that all 10-year-old boys drool over. Then Roland, played by B-movie specialist Samuel Jackson, appears as a paladin. Apparently paladins hunt "jumpers," which accounts for Roland's fervent desire to kill David. Naturally, David starts getting jumpy, but he mostly lands on one predictable plot device after another.
One wonders what exists to redeem this film. The special effects are impressive, but hardly unique. Hayden Christensen manages to act like something other than an awkward Jedi, and Rachel Bilson (who plays David's old flame) is easy on the eyes (though that too might be a special effect).
What bothered me the most was the script's allowance for a sequel. When such a bad movie ends on such an open note, it's enough to make anyone a little, well, jumpy.
