Dargis Slays "Jumper"

I'm such a travel whore that the mere fact of this magic-hour still from Jumper (with Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson) having been shot on the Tiber in Rome makes me almost want to see it. Next May on DVD, I mean. Okay, maybe I'll sneak into it at the Grove and catch five minutes' worth this weekend.


I'm not interested in sitting through the whole thing because it's been described as if it's another Doug Liman jizz-spray sell-out film, the first being Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Liman was a hip prince when he made Swingers, Go and The Bourne Identity. Why oh why did he suddenly turn into this other guy? It's like some Body Snatcher pod was placed next to his bed at 3 ayem and took over.

"It's impossible for outsiders to know who deserves most of the blame for this dud," writes N.Y. Times critic Manohla Dargis. "Its director, Doug Liman, its three screenwriters, its multiple producers or the various studio executives who might have done far too much meddling or not nearly enough.

"Whatever the case, Jumper --a barely coherent genre mishmash about a guy who transports himself across the globe at will -- is of interest only because it revisits a theme that Mr. Liman has explored in films like The Bourne Identity and, if reports about his troubled productions are true, speaks to his own reputation as an escape artist: the character who wiggles out of trouble."

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 14, 2008 at 8:05 AM

comment #1

Nick Rogers Author Profile Page says ...

Don't do it, Jeff. There is more brick in the foreground of that shot than in the background.

Posted by Nick Rogers Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 8:39 AM

comment #2

Stephe96 Author Profile Page says ...


Jumper....but please don't hurt her.

Sorry...

Posted by Stephe96 Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 8:42 AM

comment #3

OddDuck Author Profile Page says ...

It's these types of lazy reviews that keep me from being a huge Dargis fan. Based on all that I know about it, Jumper probably sucks just as hard as Dargis says it does, but her review alone completely fails to convince me. It doesn't even try. Instead of offering a full-blooded critique, she lets herself off the hook and just ups the snark factor instead. I'm sorry, but I really didn't need so many words about Sam Jackson's hair.

Posted by OddDuck Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 8:42 AM

comment #4

jesse Author Profile Page says ...

My full review is at the link (w00t self-promotion) but I will say this seems to represent some kind of nadir for Liman. I don't begrudge the guy an interest in making action movies; I can even see some personal touches in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, as much of a mess as it was. But this is really just sloppy hackwork (though, indeed, OddDuck, it isn't quite as worthy of low-key contempt as Dargis's review, though sometimes I like these NY Times pans that don't get so worked up about mediocrity). Jeff has the right idea about the DVD - it wouldn't be a bad time-killer on a lazy afternoon. It has some fun bits. I don't have the same Hayden hate as most other geeks/critics. He's not very good, but I dunno, he doesn't bug me. I didn't mind his Anakin turn. But he really has nothing to do here, nor does Sam Jackson, nor does foxy Rachel Bilson, nor does Jamie Bell. They all look fine and have no characters to speak of. As someone who actually thought the trailer looked cool, its almost insultingly obvious case of too many cooks is disappointing, too.

Posted by jesse Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 8:57 AM

comment #5

Joe B. Author Profile Page says ...

They have to work pretty hard to make me antsy and bored in an 88-minute movie, but this one did it. Nothing all that interesting, felt repetitive, and the leads (as lots of others have pointed out) were just not that interesting... Neither HC or RB are "movie stars" to me.

Posted by Joe B. Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:12 AM

comment #6

T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page says ...

"It's these types of lazy reviews that keep me from being a huge Dargis fan." When she sees something she really likes, as with 4 Months, Dargis can be perceptive. Otherwise, she just goes through the motion. Why even assign her to write about genre movies?

Posted by T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:22 AM

comment #7

Gordie Lachance Author Profile Page says ...

I would have seen The Bucket List if one person involved with that film had gotten on a plane to film an actual location.

Posted by Gordie Lachance Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:22 AM

comment #8

Jay T. Author Profile Page says ...

Honestly, unless Rachel Bilson's clothes magically transport elsewhere, I have no interest in this thing whatsoever.

Posted by Jay T. Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:34 AM

comment #9

Rich S. Author Profile Page says ...

Jay T. that is eerie. I was just about to post something about HC using his powers to transport Rachel Bilson's clothes. I guess we're all part of the same perv subconscious.

Posted by Rich S. Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:47 AM

comment #10

Doug Author Profile Page says ...

Don't get the hating on "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." A very entertaining film, that, as much of the world will attest.

Posted by Doug Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:56 AM

comment #11

lipranzer Author Profile Page says ...

I'm going to see it, but a friend of mine saw it and was not impressed. It's based on a series of novels (I read one of them, and it's pretty good), and instead of adapting one straight, it's apparently just a mishmash of the entire series.

Posted by lipranzer Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 10:09 AM

comment #12

Smurf Author Profile Page says ...

I was interested when Liman chose to film a young hero's tale, yet when the studio gave him a $100+m budget that seemed overly optimistic considering Hayden only appeals to a fraction of the Brad/Matt blockbuster audience (Hayden actually replaced Tom Sturridge 2 months into shooting).

Jumper's 88m run time obviously indicates arguments over the original 2hr+ cut nobody could solve, thus this sabotaged last-ditch release "gave up" by maxing playtimes during opening weekend, rather than give the story a legit full-length chance. The Blu-Ray will be a far better rental.

Posted by Smurf Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 10:20 AM

comment #13

Beaucoul Author Profile Page says ...

man, i'm looking at her pics on imdb and Bilson looks like a heavily made-up 13-year-old girl. not what i was expecting at all from the way u guys were drooling over her.

i guess everything about this movie is doomed to be disappointing.

Posted by Beaucoul Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 10:22 AM

comment #14

Lipstik Music Author Profile Page says ...

Anybody have gossip on how Liman's shoots are 'troubled productions'? What's his backstory aside from the credits. I liked 'Swingers', thought 'Go' was a Tarantino rip-off, thought his Bourne movie was the worst of the three by a wide margin and though 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' was just sort of dumb.

Is he supposed to be a nightmare on the set or something?

Posted by Lipstik Music Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 11:03 AM

comment #15

OddDuck Author Profile Page says ...

I heard in an interview Tony Gilroy refer to the first Bourne as a very toubled production but he gave no details.

Posted by OddDuck Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 11:56 AM

comment #16

jesse Author Profile Page says ...

From what I've read, Liman has sort of a disorganized, semi-improvisatory style that probably worked well with Swingers and Go but seemed more chaotic during both Bourne and Smith. From an article (maybe in Premiere?) about the Smith shoot, he sounds super-neurotic, which I'm sure a lot of directors are... I'm just not sure why he keeps taking on these big-budget action pictures. I could see him doing a great smaller-scale action picture -- which in some ways the first Bourne really was, so maybe that's why the final product there was smooth even though the shoot was rough, while Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper both feel overly fussed-with and unfocused.

I actually like his Bourne the best of the three -- partially because it happens to have the best story (the other two have essentially the same story that offers very few surprises; they just happen to have some amazing action sequences and intelligence maintained from the first one).

Posted by jesse Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:05 PM

comment #17

K. Bowen Author Profile Page says ...

I liked Smith, but that film has the Liman oddball humor that this one is sorely lacking. Bilson - cute, sure, but hardly a first-rank beauty.

Posted by K. Bowen Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:09 PM

comment #18

Mark Author Profile Page says ...

Go has been playing recently on HBO, and has not aged well at all.

Posted by Mark Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:10 PM

comment #19

nola Author Profile Page says ...

Nightmare is an understatement. Didn't Frank Marshall step in on Bourne #1?

NY Magazine had a recent interesting article about him. He sounds bananas. He 's still trying to live up to his father's legend. Those are some tough shoes to fill.

Posted by nola Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:11 PM

comment #20

OddDuck Author Profile Page says ...

"Go has been playing recently on HBO, and has not aged well at all."

Completely agree.

Which makes me think twice about putting Swingers back in the dvd player. That was among my absolute favorite comedies of the nineties but I'm afraid of how it will play to me now.

Posted by OddDuck Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:13 PM

comment #21

MikeSchaeferSF Author Profile Page says ...

Is Jeff aware that Liman is supposed to direct the Valerie Plame biopic? and that he wants Nicole Kidman to play Plame?

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 12:21 PM

comment #22

samizdat Author Profile Page says ...

Film opened yesterday here in Australia, complete with posters announcing it was "from the visionary director" of the first Bourne and mr and Mrs Smith.

It felt like it had been cut from two hours to 88 minutes. A couple of subplots were gone, as were any sense of character. The idea of Samuel L. Jackson's charcter being a religious fanatic was also played down, as if they were scared of a backlash.

Mr and Mrs Smith is a masterpiece compared to Jumper.

Posted by samizdat Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 1:58 PM

comment #23

Mark Author Profile Page says ...

Throw Swingers in the DVD player; it holds up, though not sure how much credit goes to Liman. I'm sure it's more complicated that pointing the camera at Favreau and Vaughn and saying "action", though i'm not sure it's much more complicated.

What i don't understand is the dismay shown on the board for the first Bourne movie. It's a ridiculously great movie. Shame on the revisionists here.

Posted by Mark Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 1:59 PM

comment #24

bents75 Author Profile Page says ...

I agree Mark. Although I disagree about Go, I popped it in the dvd player a month or so ago and I thought it held up alright. It's not an "A" film, but the vegas subplot is still pretty good- the car chase in that part is surprisingly funny. And making a chase scene 'intentionally' funny isn't an easy thing to pull off.

I'm not sure if its been rereleased or not, but I will say that the original dvd release back in '99 has a horrendous picture quality. I thought I was watching a vhs tape at first.

Posted by bents75 Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 2:12 PM

comment #25

moviemaniac2002 Author Profile Page says ...

What a cast Liman assembled for a big-budget
sci-fi studio movie - the "Star Wars" stiff( our
own modern-day Troy Donohue),an O.C. refugee and
of course Sam ("Just gimme the mother******* paycheck,I got two more movies lined up before the month's over")Jackson.

Posted by moviemaniac2002 Author Profile Page at February 14, 2008 9:54 PM

Leave a comment