Jumper - C'mon… it's not THAT bad

Since the 'Star Wars' prequels, it's seemingly been officially acceptable to 'bash' Hayden Christensen.  Okay, so maybe he's never destined to be an A-list star who will be remembered forever, but it's not like he's so awful that everything he's in should be tainted by the general feeling of disappointment that came with those first (infamous) three films.

'Jumper' is Haydensen's first (and ONLY to my knowledge!) attempt at shouldering a film himself.  And it bombed.  I'm guessing it was probably supposed to start a franchise, but that will never happen.  However, despite how it was received, I think I've watched it about three times over the years and enjoyed it every time.

Apparently, a 'jumper' is basically someone with the power to teleport.  Christiensen is one such individual.  However, just because he can pop in and out of bank's vaults with impunity, doesn't mean his life is going to be one long party - that's where Samuel L Jackson comes in.  These 'Paladins' have dedicated their lives to tracking down these 'freaks of nature' and generally stabbing them to death.

What you have is a - sort of - chase movie where Samuel L Jackson generally hunts down Hayden Christensen, intertwined with some genuinely cool action set-pieces involving fighting while teleporting and utilising all the perks that come with this power.  Yes, there's the obligatory 'love interest' thrown in there (possibly trying to capture a little of that 'teen magic' the 'Twilight' franchise capitalised on), but that's secondary.  The fun is the action - and Jamie Bell, who also pops up (and, in my opinion, steals every scene!).

I'm not saying that 'Jumper' is the greatest film ever.  But I think it deserves just a little more love than it got on its release.  It's got sci-fi, action and, of course, effectively an evil version of Samuel L Jackson's 'Nick Fury' character (and with blond hair for some reason!).  You won't need to use many brain cells to understand the plot, but it's reasonably harmless fun.  And, with so many films trying for that 'Twilight' teens-meet-supernatural vibe, this is actually one of the better ones.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that