BlackGeekdom Science-Fiction from a Different Perspective

So, I heard about this movie over a year ago that had an interesting premise about a kid who  could teleport anywhere in the world and the only star signed on at the time was Samuel L. Jackson who would star as a NSA agent tracking him down.  Sounds good?  Well, the execution sucked.  Mainly because of Hayden Christensen.  Christensen can’t carry the lead in a major film.  If you’ve seen Life as a House, and Shattered Glass,  and the Virgin Suicides, you have seen the best of Christensen.  Unfortunately, he never brings the talent showcased in those movies into the big movie roles.  He literally sleepwalks his way through this movie as the main character, David Rice, and the other actors are carrying him.  However, he’s the one with all the screen time, and he sucks. 

Samuel L. Jackson’s not a NSA agent, but a Paladin, a member of a group of religious fanatics who have hunted and killed jumpers for thousands of years.  He turns in a good, solid performance.  Rachel Bilson turns in a good performance as David Rice’s girlfriend.  The star of the movie is Jaime Bell.  He stars as the other Jumper, Griffin,  who fills David in on what it means to be a Jumper.  Bell’s performance makes the movie worth seeing.   The ensemble, minus Christensen, saves this film for complete and utter failure.  Also, the special effects are pretty good.   Diane Lane turns in a brief performance as David’s mother.  If you want to go see a good special effects thriller, go see it.  But don’t expect too much.

Posted under Movies