The Phoenix Network:
The Phoenix
Boston
|
Portland
|
Providence
STUFF Boston
WFNX
Live Radio
|
On Demand
Tu Boston
About
|
Advertise
Adult
|
Moonsigns
|
Band Guide
|
Blogs
|
In Pictures
Movies
See all in Reviews
Review: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Reviews
Jumper
An 88-minute flop
By
BRETT MICHEL
|
February 13, 2008
JUMPER
" alt="photo of 'JUMPER'">
1.5
Stars
JUMPER: Hayden Christensen is no Matt Damon.
Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson have jumped from one of the longest science-fiction properties (
Star Wars
) into one of the shortest. At 88 minutes,
Bourne Identity
director Doug Liman’s latest is all set-up and no payoff, a redundant special-effects reel spread across two acts; by the time the credits roll, you’ll be thankful. Not that
Jumper
doesn’t have an intriguing premise –– Steven Gould’s 1992 novel sounds like a good read –– but Liman, who told me that he wants an audience to “love” his
latest anti-hero, expects a miracle. David Rice is awfully smug as a youth blessed with the gift of teleportation — using his power to rob banks and fuck girls across the globe should be fun, but Christensen is no Matt Damon. Once Roland, Jackson’s ridiculous religious zealot, shows up, you hope he’ll dispatch David. Life and this movie are too short to have to put up with the little shit.
88 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Chestnut Hill + suburbs
Related
:
Science and fiction
,
Primary concerns
,
Bourne to lose
,
More
Science and fiction
It wasn’t all hyperventilation.
Primary concerns
The last thing people are looking for when they go to the movies is a reminder of the political crapola they are trying to escape.
Bourne to lose
The Bourne Conspiracy is a video game not directly based on the Bourne films starring Matt Damon — a fact its makers have taken great pains to obscure.
Wasted again
Who was Edie Sedgwick? Was she a muse who inspired some notable work by Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan or just a footnote in their careers? Did she have any talent or accomplishments of her own? Why, in short, does she deserve a bio-pic? Watch the trailer for Factory Girl (QuickTime)
Norbit
If there’s no limit to your love of fat jokes, this is the movie for you. Watch the trailer for Norbit (QuickTime)
Daddy’s Little Girls
Tyler Perry secured two likable leads for his new film, and they make Daddy’s Little Girls more enjoyable than it has any right to be.
Sleepwalking
Charlize Theron likes to ugly herself up for roles, hiding her beauty behind dishwater hair and puffy eyes.
Sleuth
Think Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson.
Bratz
Bratz is based on those slutty dolls people inexplicably buy for their kids.
Pulse
A hacker (Jonathan Tucker) kills himself under bizarre circumstances. Watch the trailer for Pulse (Quicktime)
Running Scared
A week after Paul Walker’s beloved sled dogs began their heartwarming fight for survival in Disney’s Eight Below , it’s Walker who needs saving — his new film is for the dogs.
Less
Topics
:
Reviews
,
Celebrity News
,
Entertainment
,
Movies
,
More
,
Celebrity News
,
Entertainment
,
Movies
,
Movie Stars
,
Movie Reviews
,
Samuel L. Jackson
,
Hayden Christensen
,
David Rice
,
Doug Liman
,
Matt Damon
,
Less
|
More
See more deals
view all
[
02/16
]
Third Annual Providence Children's Film Festival
@ Cable Car Cinema
[
02/16
]
"Dana Levin: A Classical Realist In the 21st Century," an exhibit of paintings
@ Bert Gallery
[
02/16
]
Mary Poppins
@ Providence Performing Arts Center
ARTICLES BY BRETT MICHEL
REVIEW: THIS MEANS WAR
| February 16, 2012
What promises to be a modern Jules and Jim (until you realize it's directed by a 43-year-old who calls himself "McG") quickly devolves into Spy vs. Spy territory, only with incompetently staged and edited action and little of that ol' Mad magazine zing.
REVIEW: THE VIRAL FACTOR
| January 17, 2012
Made for a modest budget of $17 million — and feeling like it (who needs convincing explosions in an action movie?), Dante Lam's latest still gets the job done from a run-and-gun standpoint.
REVIEW: EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
| January 17, 2012
Too soon? For Stephen Daldry's 9/11 drama, the right time is "never."
REVIEW: THE DIVIDE
| January 10, 2012
Many a teleplay for The Twilight Zone threatened atomic Armageddon, and though Frontier(s) director Xavier Gens nukes New York in the opening shots of his latest thriller, he finds more inspiration in the horrors of human nature as seen in the old TV show's episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street."
REVIEW: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL
| December 20, 2011
Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) returns to the screen in dramatic fashion as new teammate Jane (Paula Patton) and the returning Benji (Simon Pegg) break him out of a Russian prison.
See all articles by:
BRETT MICHEL
LATEST SLIDESHOWS
Photos: Providence celebrates 375th Birthday in style
Photos: Deer Tick at The Met
All Slideshows
Advertisement:
Buy Adult Novelties Online
Featured Articles in Reviews
:
Review: This Means War
Review: Safe House
Review: The Vow
Review: Rampart
Review: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
|
Sign In
|
Register
thePhoenix.com:
Home
Listings
Editor's Picks
News
Music
Film + TV
Food + Drink
Life
Arts
Rec Room
Video
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
Boston Phoenix
Portland Phoenix
Providence Phoenix
STUFF Boston
WFNX Radio
People2People
MassWeb Printing
G8Wave
About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
Work For Us
Sitemap
RSS
Mobile
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2012 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group