JagBytes

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Entertainment

"Anywhere is possible," is the advertising slogan for this flop of a flick. The plot is as murky as the waters the characters visit through space and time while "jumping." The story is about a 23-year-old young man, David Rice (played by Hayden Christensen), who discovers his ability to "jump" from one part of the world to another at the age of 15.

As a lonely Michigan high school student and the child of an angry alcoholic father, William Rice (Michael Rooker) and a mother, Mary Rice (Diane Lane) who abandoned him at age five, he sees this as his chance to start over.

So Rice ends up in a swanky apartment in New York City said to be making a living as a "banker." However, his idea of banking involves teleporting himself into bank vaults and stealing money. Aside from his "banking" career, he spends his time jumping all over the world, enjoying himself.

But then he misses his childhood crush, Millie Harris (Rachel Bilson) and goes back to his hometown to find her. He talks her into a trip to Rome, where she has always wanted to go. He even rides the plane with her to keep his ability a secret. But his secret starts to unravel while in Rome.

Griffin (Jamie Bell) is another Jumper who catches up with Rice, letting him know he is not the only Jumper around. And while Rice has been jumping around seemingly without consequences, Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to let him know that, "There are always consequences!"

It turns out that Roland is a bad guy whose most notable trait is the blinding force of his snow-white hair. Griffin informs Rice that Roland is a "Paladin," who has been seeking out jumpers for centuries, although nobody is sure how or why the Paladins or Jumpers came to exist.

Rice goes back to find Harris again after sending her home from Rome early without much of an explanation. Harris is typically clueless throughout the entire movie, with a main objective of tagging along and looking pretty.

Together, along with Griffin, they continue their battle against the Paladins. The ending is anything but powerful. Too much was left hanging at the end of this 88-minute movie and it makes one curious if director Doug Liman is setting the stage for a sequel. Liman fails to make sense out of this sci-fi adventure. Among Linman's line-up of top-notch movies such as "Swingers," "The Bourne Identity" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "Jumper" falls short.

If you were planning on seeing this at the theaters, you may want to jump into another line.



Genres: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Teen

Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Release Date: February 14

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.

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