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Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: moviecentre.net David Rice (Hayden Christensen) looking in the desert in "Jumper." [Click to enlarge]

Doug Liman, where have you gone? After directing surprising hit films like "Swingers" and "Go," jump-starting the Bourne franchise with "The Bourne Identity," he disappointed with "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." People were expecting a big bounce back from Liman. Instead, he gives us "Jumper," a superhero film that leaves us questioning more about the film than we should.

Young David Rice (Max Thieriot) is the ordinary loser picked on in high school. He's small, scrawny and never has the guts to say what really is on his mind. After trying to give a snow globe to his long time crush Millie (AnnaSophia Robb), he falls through thin ice into the river. Before drowning, he somehow transports himself to the local library. With a drunken dad harassing him and a mother nowhere to be found, he decides he has no reason to stay at home. Using his new teleportation powers, he decides to leave his home in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Millie, behind.

Go forward 10 years and now we see David (Hayden Christensen) as successful man that has traveled all over the world, seen everything anyone in their lifetime would die to see and been with women in every place imaginable. Life seems fine until Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to his apartment. He is a part of the group called paladins, people that go across the world to kill "jumpers" like David. Narrowly escaping death against Roland, he transports himself back to Ann Arbor.

Now back at home, he reluctantly approaches Millie (now played by Rachel Bilson), who now works at a local bar. A chat between the two and eight hours later, they are off to Rome, a place Millie wanted to visit all her life. While there, Millie suspects something is wrong with David. All the while, the paladins try to ambush David again but another jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell) comes to his aid.

This movie is exciting at times. When the action comes, it does so with some energy. Even though there are lots of cut sequences (hard not to be when the jumper's powers allow them to go from one place to another), the action looks clean and precise. People thinking they'll see the hand held camera that compassed around the second and third installment of the "Bourne" films don't need to worry. It's not as kinetic as the "Bourne" films, but it works.

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