"JUMPER" (2008) (Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Mild Extreme *Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Heavy None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Sci-fi: After discovering his ability to teleport himself anywhere instantaneously, a young man must contend with the repercussions of that, including finding another person like him, a specialized agent who wants their kind dead, and a young woman who unwittingly gets caught up in that life and death struggle. PLOT: David Rice (HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN) is a young man who's discovered he has the innate ability to teleport himself instantaneously anywhere in the world. Beyond cutting down on travel time, it also allows him to "borrow" money from banks as a means of financing himself. And with his mom, Mary (DIANE LANE) long gone from his world, his superpower gives him the freedom to escape from his less than favorable dad, William (MICHAEL ROOKER). Yet, he still longs for something or, more accurately, someone from his hometown, and that's Millie (RACHEL BILSON). She's a waitress and former high school crush who believes he's long dead following him falling through the ice and never surfacing years ago due to the action of school bully turned lecherous town drunk, Mark Kobold (TEDDY DUNN). With the money to impress her and the ability to turn her long-abandoned dreams of seeing the world into reality, David sweeps Millie off her feet. However, he doesn't let her know about his power, an ability that has drawn the attention of yet another so-called "jumper," Griffin (JAMIE BELL), as well as some sort of agent, Roland (SAMUEL L. JACKSON), a "Paladin" who thinks their kind are abominations and thus must be destroyed. Using electric shock to disrupt their ability to jump to another locale, Roland turns up the heat on both Griffin and David, desirous of killing both, all while Millie unexpectedly finds herself thrust into a world of powers that don't seem remotely possible to her. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? The sci-fi angle might draw in some, as might anyone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN plays a young man who's learned he has the ability to teleport himself instantaneously anywhere in the world. He uses that power to "borrow" money from banks to support his lifestyle that includes trying to woo Millie without telling her the truth. He sleeps with her (and it's suggested he earlier has a one-night stand with a stranger he picks up in a bar), uses some profanity, and battles Roland. JAMIE BELL plays another "jumper" whose goal is to find and kill Roland as revenge for him killing Griffin's parents long ago. He's a lone gun sort of guy (and thus doesn't want David's help), battles Roland and other such agents, and briefly uses strong profanity. RACHEL BILSON plays David's former high school crush turned current day waitress. Having long ago abandoned her dreams of seeing the world, she's easily swept off her feet by David's world-wise demeanor and wealth, and sleeps with him on vacation. Yet, she becomes increasingly suspicious of what's occurring, and then finds herself in a world that's way over her head. She uses some profanity. SAMUEL L. JACKSON plays some sort of agent who works with others in trying to find, capture and kill all of the jumpers since he sees them as genetic abominations that shouldn't possess the sort of power they do. He kills at least one, is noted as having killed Griffin's parents, and seeks to do the same to him and David. MICHAEL ROOKER plays David's less than favorable father who's distraught over his son's disappearance, thinks he's going crazy the few scant moments David is back in the house, and drinks some. DIANE LANE plays David's mother who hit the road back when he was just five, for reasons disclosed at the end of the film (basically to prevent the boy from being killed). TEDDY DUNN plays the former school bully turned town jerk and drunk who's intoxicated when patting Millie on her rear in public and fighting with David. He uses profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this sci-fi action flick that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. The beginning of a sexual encounter is seen (partial, playful undressing and kissing, etc.), while a one-night stand is heavily implied. Sci-fi action violence includes at least one person being killed, attempts on others' lives, and the electrical shocking of various characters. Various scenes feature characters fighting, with some of that including property damage, while a little bit of resultant blood is present. It's possible some of those violent scenes and moments of peril (including a character falling through and then being swept under the ice covering a body of water) might be suspenseful or unsettling to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some of the behavior on display might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Several characters drink, and one appears intoxicated, while tense family material is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement in the film, including bouncy handheld, high altitude look-down shots, spinning camera shots and more. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE William has a beer. David at 15 might have a beer (we couldn't identify the can). Miscellaneous people drink in a pub. David has a beer in a bar where others drink, and Mark shows up holding a beer that he sloshes around due to being intoxicated. Later, David and Millie have beer there. William has a beer. BLOOD/GORE Millie comments on David bleeding following a fight with Mark, but we didn't see any on his face. We see Griffin presumably urinating against a wall, but we don't hear or see anything related to that. An unconscious Paladin has a little blood on his face. David has a little blood on his chin and what appear to be blood drop stains on his shirt. Griffin has a bad-looking scar on his neck from some past, unseen encounter with Roland. David has some bloody scrapes on his face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE After young David gives young Millie a snow globe gift, young Mark (who makes fun of David, calling him "Rice Bowl" and such) takes it away and throws it out onto a frozen lake. Realizing he can get away with it, David teleports himself into a bank vault and steals money. He then apparently continues doing that to support his lifestyle. An intoxicated Mark slaps Millie on the clothed butt, prompting David to punch him. Mark then returns the blow and then hits him many more times, followed by David driving him back through a fence and then teleporting him into a bank vault where he leaves him. Roland and the other Paladins want to find, capture, and kill all of the jumpers. Griffin steals a car from a showroom and drives it out through the plate glass window, barely missing David. He then drives fast and swerves through traffic. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. After young David gives young Millie a snow globe gift, young Mark (who makes fun of David) takes it away and throws it out onto a frozen body of water. David then goes out to get it, but the ice breaks and he falls through, ending up being swept away by the current under the ice, unable to get out. He then suddenly and unintentionally teleports out of there and ends up in a library. We briefly see some TV news coverage of bad flooding, with a person standing on an overturned bus in raging waters. We see that Roland has captured a jumper who's strung up on a wall, being shocked by wiring that's ensnared him. Roland then walks up, pulls out a large knife, and stabs the man in the chest, killing him (no blood). Roland and his goons arrive at Millie's place, all as David reluctantly decides to tell her the truth about himself and what's been occurring (some viewers may find that as tense). They teleport out just as Roland enters the place, but he uses a device to detect and connect the two planes via a wormhole. Roland zaps David with his electrodes and has him pinned to the wall with electrified cables. He pulls his knife to kill David, but Griffin interrupts him with a flamethrower (Roland avoids the flames, but another agent is hit and set on fire). Moments later, Roland zaps and shocks Griffin who then rushes at him and blasts both through a wall into another location. Griffin then disappears, with a bus suddenly appearing and flying through the air at Roland who gets out of the way just in time. Roland zaps David with electrical current and pulls out his large knife, but David focuses enough, causing the building to tear apart. That teleports them, Millie and part of her apartment away from that scene and into a body of water. The building segment sinks, and Millie and David seem doomed to drown, but they then teleport into a library where they gasp for air (the library is damaged by their and the building segment's sudden appearance). Roland then surfaces, but David teleports him to a remote location. GUNS/WEAPONS Knives/Electrical stun & capture devices/Flamethrower: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill characters. See "Violence" for details. A Roman cop pulls his handgun on David while arresting him. Men carrying and firing machine guns are seen in a scene briefly set in Chechnya, as are tanks rumbling about. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "If you'd like to kindly f*ck off," "Oh sh*t," "Some kind of sixth sense sh*t," "I thought it meant bullsh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Chick," "Holy crap," "Chumps," "Jerk," "Dude, this totally sucks," "Let's get the hell out of here," "Freak," "I'm taking a piss," "Whatever the hell we want," "Nut jobs," "What the hell /happened here/are you doing here?" "Crazy bastard," "If it moves, I can jump it," "Piss you/me off," "A hell of a..." and ""We're screwed." Griffin steals a car from a showroom and drives it out through the plate glass window, barely missing David. He then drives fast and swerves through traffic. Some kids may be inspired to imitate other action, stunts and behavior that occur in the film. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, ominous, and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 6 "s" words, 6 hells, 5 craps, 2 uses of "Jesus Christ," and 1 use each of "God," "Jesus" and "Swear to God." SEX/NUDITY A glass sculpture shows a bare-breasted woman (nothing explicit). It's heavily implied that David has a one-night stand with a woman he met in a pub. We see him shirtless in a room, while she's in bed, asleep. We see David shirtless before he goes surfing. An intoxicated Mark slaps Millie on the clothed butt, prompting David to punch him. A classic statue shows bare breasts. David and Millie end up passionately kissing in a hotel room where they start to disrobe. Tops come off, we see him shirtless and her in her bra, and he then picks her up (legs around waist) and places her against the wall where they continue to kiss. We next see them on the bed attempting to disrobe more. This is done playfully, he ends up on top of her (both still have their pants on), and they then roll off the bed (later sex is implied). Millie shows a little cleavage. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that David's mom left home when he was five, and that his dad, who's still around, was not much of a dad. The latter means that David leaves home once he learns he can teleport and thus support himself financially. When David briefly returns home, his dad is desperate to see him and yells through the door that David can come home whenever he wants (but David then teleports away). Griffin says Paladins killed his mom and dad when he was 5. David returns home and finds his dad unconscious on the floor (the result of unseen violence at Roland's hands). Griffin comments that his parents weren't around for him in the past (due to Roland having killed them). Spoiler Alert: David goes to visit his mother and learns that she's one of the agents who's supposed to kill him, and thus explains her actions of leaving earlier in his life. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT People with special abilities. Roland's comment that only God should have the power to be everywhere. Who the Paladins are and why they want the jumpers killed (beyond the sentence above). Where you'd go if you had the ability to transport yourself anywhere. Dealing with bullies. Walking out onto frozen bodies of water. VIOLENCE William breaks open David's door, but the boy teleports away. Practicing teleporting himself, David accidentally runs into a tree and is knocked to the ground. We see that Roland has captured a jumper who's strung up on a wall, being shocked by wiring that's ensnared him. Roland then walks up, pulls out a large knife, and stabs the man in the chest, killing him (no blood). Roland repeatedly zaps David with some sort of powerful electronic zapper, and then tosses him off his second story, interior balcony down to some furniture below him. As David teleports into another room, Roland tears through the wall to try to get to him. An intoxicated Mark slaps Millie on the clothed butt, prompting David to punch him. Mark then returns the blow and then hits him many more times, followed by David driving him back through a fence and then teleporting him into a bank vault where he leaves him. Roland knocks a man unconscious to get access to Mark. Two Paladins try to get David, with one zapping and pulling him down. The other repeatedly shoots electrodes or something similar at Griffin who avoids them by teleporting himself from one place to the next (as property damage occurs in the bowels of the Roman Coliseum). Griffin then drives one Paladin back hard into a wall, and pulls another down hard, leaving both men unconscious or dead (and he kicks one in that state). David hits a Roman cop while escaping from police custody. David returns home and finds his dad unconscious on the floor (the result of unseen violence at Roland's hands). David pushes Mark back against a wall and holds him by the shirt while trying to get info out of him. Griffin grabs David and throws him to the floor. Roland zaps David with his electrodes and has him pinned to the wall with electrified cables. He pulls his knife to kill David, but Griffin interrupts him with a flamethrower (Roland avoids the flames, but another agent is hit and set on fire). Moments later, Roland zaps and shocks Griffin who then rushes at him and blasts both through a wall into another location. Griffin then disappears, with a bus suddenly appearing and flying through the air at Roland who gets out of the way just in time. Griffin fires a flamethrower at Roland, with the flames following him through a wormhole back into Millie's apartment, with a view of Roland jumping from the apartment to the street below, partially on fire. Millie has some sort of cable wrapped around her and she's yanked back through a wormhole. Griffin then plans to send an explosive through the same to kill Roland and the others, with David reminding him that Millie is there as well. Griffin sees her as collateral damage, and thus he and David struggle over a detonator, ending up teleporting themselves all over the world, punching, kicking and otherwise hitting and struggling with each other. That includes both jumping off a skyscraper and plummeting toward the street below, a truck crashing down at David, and both then ending up in Chechnya where we see soldiers firing machine guns and tanks maneuvering (not directed at them). David then teleports Griffin back into a collapsing electric tower where Griffin is trapped by the metal and prevented from teleporting by the electrical current. Roland zaps David with electrical current and pulls out his large knife, but David focuses enough, causing the building to tear apart. That teleports them, Millie and part of her apartment away from that scene and into a body of water. The building segment sinks, and Millie and David seem doomed to drown, but they then teleport into a library where they gasp for air (the library is damaged by their and the building segment's sudden appearance). Roland then surfaces, but David teleports him to a remote location. Reviewed February 11, 2008 / Posted February 14, 2008

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