jumper

Given a Feb. 14 release date, it's nice to know even Hollywood can be faithful to its sweet lover: the superhero movie. Such is the case with Jumper, the latest from director Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith).

Based on the novel by Stephen Gould, Jumper stars former Jedis Hayden Christensen as hero David Rice and Samuel L. Jackson as the fanatically religious villain Roland Cox. In the film, a genetic anomaly makes David a Jumper, allowing him to teleport anywhere in the world.

The film opens in a predictable manner. In this case, we get backstory. David is an awkward high school student preoccupied with bullies and his crush Millie (The O.C.'s Rachel Bilson). He attempts to be romantic, but of course is thwarted. Things turn from bad to worse as David finds himself in a desperate situation: trapped and drowning under a frozen pond. It looks like he won't make it until, by some unknown force, he teleports to the library. Bewildered, David experiments with his new abilities and eventually reaches the conclusion that he can leave his unsatisfactory life behind--which he promptly does. With this uninspired opening, audiences get a taste of the miserable acting that is to follow.

Fast forward eight years. David has become wealthy robbing banks and has established a dream life in which he jumps around the world at his leisure. This enviable existence is rudely interrupted by the Paladins, led by the nefarious Jackson. The Paladins' sole purpose is to hunt Jumpers like David. Armed with nifty machines that can trap Jumpers and annul their powers, the Paladins threaten David's world. The story degenerates into standard good versus evil as David decides to fight back, finding an ally of sorts in Griffin (Jamie Bell), a fellow Jumper.

First and foremost, Jumper is an action flick and, at that, it's not terrible in spite of overusing the teleportation gimmick. Full of cliches and plot holes but lacking in resolutions, the movie makes no apologies for what it is. But for an action movie, there is nothing special about the effects-the main attractive feature of this genre. It may just be better to wait for this one to come out on DVD-if, even then, it's worth it.