Jumper Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
From the director of 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' comes the evolution of extreme
— a high-powered shot of adrenaline that stretches the very limits of imagination. David Rice is a young man who knows no boundaries — a Jumper, born with the
uncanny ability to teleport instantly to any place on Earth. When he discovers others like
himself, David is thrust into the midst of an ancient war while being hunted by a bloodthirsty
band of zealots sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, David's extraordinary gift may be his only
hope for survival. Based on the best selling science-fiction novel by Steven Gould.
Only God should have the power to be all places at all times.
Do you know those movies that look good in the trailer, but the trailer shows you most of the
best
parts, and in reality the movie itself stinks, as do said intriguing trailer moments in the context of
the
whole movie? That's what we have here, unfortunately. Jumper has solidified itself as
one
of my most memorable movie disappointments in quite some time. The trailer had me intrigued,
and the subject material, ideas, and themes introduced in the movie are undeniably fascinating.
Unfortunately, I was completely let down by the movie's slow pacing, haphazard storytelling, bad
acting, meandering plot, and forgettable characters (I cannot even remember their names,
except for "Millie," and only
because we hear it about 80 times in 80 minutes). The idea is good
enough
that my interest in the novel this movie is based on (written by Steven Gould) has been piqued,
but
my interest in this film and the sequel it so plainly sets the audience up for at the end has
plummeted. Who knows, maybe Jumper 2, if it ever comes to fruition, will be better
than
this, and the open-ended finale to the film leads me to believe that it could be good, if done right.
I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere.
David Rice (Hayden Christensen, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) has the
seemingly unique ability to teleport himself instantly anywhere in the world, and at any time.
He
first discovered this talent while drowning in icy water one day after school in front of his
crush,
Millie (played by AnnaSophia Robb, Bridge to Terabithia
in
this segment). One moment, he was
near death, and the next, he found himself in the stacks at the Ann Arbor public library. Years
later, his talent mastered, David lives the high life off of the easy money he's accumulated by
jumping into and emptying bank vaults the world over. Upon returning home one day,
David finds a man named Roland (Samuel L. Jackson, Unbreakable) in his
apartment, armed with a weapon specially made to counter Jumpers and their ability. David
escapes the clutches of this man who says he's been searching for David for eight years, and
rekindles his relationship with Millie (now portrayed by Rachel Bilson, TV's "The O.C.") after a
surprise return into her life. Traveling to Rome with Millie, David meets
Griffin (Jamie Bell, Flags of Our Fathers),
another Jumper who (finally!) lets us in on the backstory and explains the premise of the film,
that being a centuries-old war between Jumpers and "Paladins," those who would kill Jumpers on
religious grounds. David and Griffin must work together to stay alive, keep Millie safe, and learn
the deeper secrets of the Paladins, and of Roland in particular.
Among other things, the putrid acting of everyone in the film, save for Jamie Bell who was not
great by any stretch, but at least passable, proves to be one of Jumper's many
downfalls.
Hayden Christinsen, unfortunately, has shown us that Star Wars was no fluke: he really
is this stiff and uninteresting of an actor. He delivers his lines with a nonchalance that redefines
"going through the motions" or "cashing his check," both of which also apply to the venerable
(and white haired) Samuel L. Jackson. I really don't get it when it comes to Jackson. He's one
of
the finest actors around, yet recently, filmmakers have decided he
needs something extra, a gimmick, if you will, to make sure we notice his presence. In XXX it was his badly
scarred face. Here, it's his snow-white hair that looks completely ridiculous and serves no
discernible purpose. Oh, he also has a long scar running down his face. I have no doubt that
actress Rachel Bilson is right now in line auditioning for the next loser of a horror movie, probably
something along the lines of Two Missed Calls or Do You Remember That One
Summer Where I Knew What You Did? She'll fit right in as the interchangeable, forgettable,
brainless,
and "oh my God!" uttering teen (even though she's in he late 20's according to her IMDb page).
On a more positive note, Jumper represents an incredibly interesting concept that works
on paper, in theory, and even in our own
imaginations as we long not only for the ability to jump, but also for a coherent, entertaining
movie. It takes too long to really get going, even with the film's short runtime. We can only
watch David jump and wish we could do the same so many times before boredom strikes and we
can only imagine that jumping into a war zone, or shark-infested waters, or a burning building
might be more entertaining than this. In fact, and sadly, the movie gets stale early on and
never
manages to recover, despite a final act that is far superior to the first two. If this were real life
and we were involved in what was happening on-screen, it would be fascinating, but as a movie,
at least as presented here, it doesn't work. Director Doug Liman has some decent-to-good work
under his belt (Mr. & Mrs. Smith,
The Bourne Identity, and Swingers), but his stale, lifeless direction coupled with
a script marred with plot holes and unresolved questions (even taking into consideration the
potential sequel) that takes far too long to get going and lets us in on what the crux of
the plot will be makes for a disappointing movie that, even at 88 minutes, couldn't be over soon
enough.
Jumper lands on Blu-ray with a highly impressive 1080p, 2.35:1 framed image. The first
thing I noted about the transfer was the excellent attention to detail, colors and lifelike imagery.
Look at one of the movie's earliest scenes that takes place outside after school on a cold winter's
day. Everything looks both amazingly film-like and real: the multi-colored jackets; the textures
of clothing; the realistic and "reach-out-and-touch-it" appearance of the school bus; the snow;
and even the chips of ice we see in a few close-ups. Flesh tones are excellent,
maybe a bit too
rosy in a few shots, but definitely more than acceptable. Indoor scenes fare extremely well, too.
A bar scene in chapter nine features highly detailed, well, everything. In a locale that is generally
depicted as dark and dreary in movies, here it is bright, colorful, and alive. Obviously, this is
completely due to director intent, where he could have opted for the same tired bar scene we've
seen countless times before, but here, it was a nice change of pace. The exterior shots
of Rome are beautiful. A fine layer of grain that is visible
everywhere brings with it a wonderfully cinematic look. This grain adds a depth to the movie that
perfectly recreates the theater
experience. The interior of the colosseum looks excellent as well, and if nothing else, this movie
(and this disc) has me yearning more so than ever to visit Rome and the other wonderfully shot
locales around the world. Likewise, the nighttime exterior shots of Tokyo in chapter 18 look
amazing with the too-many-to-count bright neon lights and impeccable detail that is seen all over
the city. Black levels are good,
appearing perhaps the slightest bit gray rather than true black in a few scenes. I was very
impressed with this transfer. It doesn't quite reach the level of excellence of something like The Chronicles of
Narnia or Saawariya, but it
comes awfully close.
Jumper makes the Blu-ray leap with an active but ever-so-slightly underwhelming
DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound mix. Dialogue volume is fine, but dialogue itself sounds slightly muffled at
times. Jumper offers up a solid, crisp, and detailed surround presence that remains
active throughout most of the movie to create a natural ambience rather than just kicking in
during
the film's few action pieces. From the ringing of bells off in the distance in Rome to some
background communications chatter in a holding facility in chapter 10, this track does an
excellent job of recreating the subtleties of real life. Bass is also solid, but not overpowering.
Here, I didn't get the impression it was meant to tear away at the foundation of your house.
Rather, it played just right, providing enough "oomph" to feel the jumps in
your gut but never overstating its presence or overextending its welcome. The jumps are
definitely a highlight of the track, proving to be both fun to listen to as well as feel. Still, some of
the sound effects struck me as just a bit weak. The action scenes, like the first major one in
chapter 13, present listeners with some nice, powerful activity. The war zone scene in Chechnya
near the end of the film sounded wonderful with the popping of weapons off in the distance in the
rear channels and the rumbling of tanks in the front, but again, it sounded just the slightest bit
underwhelming. This is still a top-notch track, however, and any perceived low-level effects can
certainly be compensated for by cranking up the volume a few notches, should you choose to do
so. Listening to this track just might distract the viewer from the fact that this film lacks a truly
good plot, but the video and audio experience, as well as some of the following-discussed
supplements, quite easily encompass this disc's highlights.
Jumper bounds onto Blu-ray with an impressive helping of extra features. A
commentary
track with director Doug Liman, writer/producer Simon Kiberg, and producer Lucas Foster is first.
This trio does a commendable job of defending the various issues with the movie without calling
out
the criticisms one-by-one, and it's a worthwhile listen not only for the movie's fans, but also its
detractors. Jumpstart: David's Story (1080p, 8:07) is an animated graphic novel and
short
extension of the movie's main character that provides a bit more insight into the world of
Jumper. Jumping Around the World is a Blu-ray profile 1.1 ("Bonus View")
picture-in-picture feature. The feature is not continuous, but rather pops up here and there on
your
screen. This feature showcases the various world locations seen throughout the movie and the
rigors of filming around the world. This feature is also accessible to those without profile 1.1
players as a standalone extra.
Doug Liman's 'Jumper:' Uncensored (1080p, 35:34) takes an unforgiving and candid
look
at the filmmaking process, and that of Jumper in particular, including the hardships of
the
shoot, the ebb-and-flow of the nonstop writing and re-writing process, and some more of your
standard-fare "making-of"
segments. Making An Actor Jump (1080p, 7:36) is next. This feature examines the
creation of the film's special-effects-heavy jumping shots, as well as the more scientific aspects of
the jumping process. Jumping From Novel to Film: The Past, Present, and Future of
'Jumper' (1080p, 8:08) features interviews with Doug Liman, author Steven Gould, and
others about the story found in both the original novels and the film. Six deleted scenes (1080p,
11:17) are next. Previz: Future Concepts (1080p, 4:34) showcases some animated
storyboards for a few of the movie's action sequences. Along with being D-Box equipped, Jumper also includes a
second disc which contains a digital copy of the film for playback on personal computers or various
portable digital video devices.
I don't ask much of movies like Jumper. That they be entertaining, concise, coherent,
action-packed, and imaginative doesn't seem all that tall an order for a big-budget Hollywood
sci-fi/action extravaganza. Unfortunately, Jumper fails at all of these, except, perhaps, for
"concise," but then again, even at a sub-90 minute runtime, the movie offers far too little of the
other factors to truly be concise. It is a hodgepodge of ideas where several "cool" scenes ("car
jumping" through the streets of Tokyo in a stolen Mercedes, anyone?) fail to carry the entirety of
the movie. Few movies have disappointed me as much as Jumper, and the more I think
about it, the more I regret having seen it and the more disillusioned I become. As always, however,
Fox has provided fans a first-rate Blu-ray disc. With excellent audio and video quality, not to
mention a healthy serving of supplements, the disc itself, based on its technical merits alone, is
worth looking into. I have jumped to the conclusion that Jumper is C-grade material in the
guise of an A-list movie, all packed into a head-of-the-class Blu-ray disc. Recommended only for the
staunchest of fans.
Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Jumper' to Blu-ray on June 10th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Video will be presented in 1080p AVC and be accompanied by a 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack. Presented on a BD-50, the release will ...
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