Jumper (2008 film)
| Jumper | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster for the film | |
| Directed by | Doug Liman |
| Written by | David S. Goyer Jim Uhls Simon Kinberg (screenplay) Steven Gould (novel) |
| Produced by | Simon Kinberg Lucas Foster Jay Sanders Stacy Maes |
| Starring | Hayden Christensen Jamie Bell Rachel Bilson Samuel L. Jackson Diane Lane Max Thieriot AnnaSophia Robb |
| Cinematography | Barry Peterson |
| Edited by | Saar Klein |
| Music by | John Powell |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox New Regency Productions |
Release dates | February 14, 2008 (U.S.) |
Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | USD$85 million[1] |
Jumper is a 2008 science fiction film from 20th Century Fox and New Regency Productions based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane. The film follows a person capable of teleporting to any location as he is chased by a secret group intent on killing him.
The script went through a rewrite prior to filming and the roles for the main characters were changed during production. Jumper was filmed in 20 cities in 14 countries between 2006 and 2007. The film was released on February 14, 2008 and a soundtrack was released on February 19. The film held the first position in its opening weekend with $27.3 million, despite mostly negative reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 16% approval rating and 35/100 on Metacritic. Several novels were developed as tie-ins to the film along with a video game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Wii consoles, named Jumper: Griffin's Story. The DVD was released on June 10, 2008, and both Christensen and Liman have spoken of one or more sequels.
Plot
Teenager David Rice falls into an icy river and suddenly finds himself in a library. He discovers he can "Jump", or teleport, disappearing from one place and instantly appearing in another. He decides to leave town and is believed dead by his father (his mother left when he was five).
Eight years later, an adult David (Hayden Christensen) has settled into a life of adventure, spending his days jumping around various continents, doing various sports, and living a rich life from the proceeds of the bank robbery. He meets Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson), who tries to trap him with electrical cables, which prevent him from jumping. David escapes and returns home to Ann Arbor seeking his childhood sweetheart Millie (Rachel Bilson). He invites her to fulfill her dream of seeing Rome.
They visit the Colosseum only to find it closed. David uses his abilities unlock a side door from the inside, telling a skeptical Millie the door was already unlocked. While opening another door, he discovers another Jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell). Griffin warns him that "Paladins" are coming - religious fanatics who have been tracking down and killing Jumpers from "the beginning.", Several Paladins show up and attack them. Griffin kills one and teleports, taking the body with him. David tries to leave with Millie, but is detained by Italian police and questioned about the death. While waiting for a magistrate to arrive, David's mother Mary (Diane Lane) appears, throws him the keys to his handcuffs, and tells him he has very little time to leave. David tries to follow her, but she says if he wants the girl to live he must leave now. David tells Millie the police let him go and they leave together. Millie, now very suspicious, demands the truth. David declines and puts her on a plane home.
David jumps to Griffin's lair, asking where to find Roland. Griffin explains that Paladins will kill not only the Jumper, but everyone they love. He has been trying to kill Roland for years, as the Paladins killed his parents when he was a child and have tried to kill him several times. David teleports to his father, finds him bleeding and teleports him to a hospital. He returns to Griffin and convinces him to go with him to the airport to greet Millie. Upon arriving, they realize her flight landed an hour ago. Griffin returns to his lair to get weapons while David searches for Millie. He breaks into her apartment, angering Millie, who tells him to leave. David sees Roland arriving and and shows her what he can do. He teleports her back to Griffin's lair. An irate Griffin explains the Paladins will follow using a machine to keep the wormhole open. They fight within Griffin's lair. Griffin attacks the Paladins with a flamethrower and teleports a doubledecker bus to hurl at Roland. Roland is chased back through the portal, but snatches Millie with a cable.
Griffin decides to take a bomb to Millie's apartment and kill everyone. David refuses, wanting to save Millie. They fight through several locations, and David traps Griffin with power lines. Griffin warns that if he faces the Paladins alone he will be outnumbered. He goes anyway and is quickly trapped by Roland's electric cables. David can't escape as he is tied to the apartment (and as Griffin had explained earlier, a Jumper will be killed if he tries to teleport a building). David separates the apartment from the rest of the building and teleports it into a river. He then teleports it to the library from the beginning of the movie. He teleports the barely conscious Roland to a cave near the top of a cliff and leaves him unharmed, saying "I could've dropped you with the sharks."
David visits his mother and is stunned when a girl, presumably his half-sister, answers the door. Mary tells David she has known he was a Jumper since he was five, when Jumpers make their first Jump. She is a Paladin, and she only had two choices at the time: to kill David or leave. She allows him to leave, saying she is giving him a "head start." He leaves to meet with Millie outside. He asks where they should go next and she asks him to surprise her.
Cast
- Hayden Christensen as David Rice: A young man who discovers the ability to "Jump", or teleport.
- Max Thieriot as teenage David Rice
- Rachel Bilson as Millie Harris: David's childhood friend and crush, who later becomes his girlfriend.
- AnnaSophia Robb as teenage Millie Harris
- Samuel L. Jackson as Roland Cox: The leader of the Paladins whose goal is to kill Jumpers.
- Jamie Bell as Griffin: A fellow Jumper.
- Michael Rooker as William Rice: David's father.
- Diane Lane as Mary Rice: David's mother who separated from her son when he was five years old.
- Teddy Dunn as Mark Kobold: David's childhood bully.
- Jesse James as teenage Mark Kobold
- Kristen Stewart as Sophie (cameo)
Production
Script and storyboards
In November 2005, New Regency Productions hired director Doug Liman to helm the film adaptation of the science fiction novel Jumper by Steven Gould. Screenwriter Jim Uhls was hired to rewrite an adapted screenplay by David S. Goyer.[2] However, Liman desired another rewrite and Simon Kinberg assisted in completing the script.[2] The studio announced plans to develop a trilogy based on the novel's premise.[3]
While other films tend to use only one storyboard artist, Jumper required six artists who each worked on an individual action sequence. The artists were given specific instruction on the rules of the teleportation used in the film, to ensure accuracy in the storyboarding. One artist reflected on the instructions: "I was just thinking, 'How would a guy that can teleport fight?' So you were really pushing yourself to try to think of inventive, cool, spectacular ways that you could use this jumping talent that these characters have."[4]
Casting
In April 2006, actors Tom Sturridge, Teresa Palmer, and Jamie Bell were cast for Jumper with Sturridge in the lead role.[5] The following July, actor Samuel L. Jackson was cast into Jumper as an NSA agent, with producer Simon Kinberg rewriting the original screenplay draft by Goyer. Principal photography was scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Rome, Toronto, and New York.[6] Production was stopped in June 2006 after producer Tom Rothman told Liman "The lead is 18. Wouldn't the movie be better if he was 25? You have a huge movie here and adults won't go and see an 18-year-old. They'll consider it a children's movie. You could make a bigger movie than that."[7] Liman agreed on casting older actors for furthering the romantic aspect of the film.[8] In August, actor Hayden Christensen replaced Sturridge in the lead role as David just two weeks before the beginning of shooting, as the studio "became concerned about not having a more prominent actor in their trio of young stars."[9] Rapper Eminem was also considered for the role.[10] After Christensen was recast for the lead role, Liman replaced Palmer with Rachel Bilson.[7]
Filming
We'd walk in at dawn with the sun coming up so Doug could get the light he wanted, and it was just beautiful, not a soul in there.
In September 2006, Jumper was filmed at various locations in Peterborough, Ontario and principal photography began in Toronto in October.[2][11][12] In December 2006, Liman negotiated with the Rome Film Commission for rare access to film for three days in the Colosseum. The scene in the Colosseum was originally written for the Pantheon, at which exterior shots were also filmed. The crew was required to keep equipment off the ground by using harnesses and had to rely on natural light for filming.[13] Filming took place for 45 minutes in the morning and in the evening so as not to disturb the public touring the amphitheater throughout the day.[14] In order to maximize the short period for filming, four steadicams were set up to ensure time was not wasted in reloading the camera.[7] A visual effects supervisor explained how visual effects were needed for various aspects after filming: "There were three kinds of shots: there were shots where they were able to get most of what they needed in the Coliseum itself; and then there were shots on a set that needed extensions beyond the limits of the set; and then there were shots where we needed to create the Coliseum basically from scratch."[15]
After filming in Rome, scenes were filmed in Toronto during December 2006 to January 2007 and wrapped at the Canadian location on January 19. On January 26 in Toronto, 56-year-old David Ritchie, a set dresser, was fatally struck by frozen debris while dismantling an outdoor set in wintry conditions.[2][16] Another worker was injured and was sent to a hospital with serious head and shoulder injuries.[17] After Toronto, the cast and crew traveled to Tokyo to film scenes. One scene required over 30 shoots as the scene could only be filmed in between traffic light changes.[7] As a result of director Liman insisting Christensen perform his own stunts, the actor injured his hand, split open his ear, and developed a hyperdilated pupil that required hospital care while filming various scenes.[8][18]
In February 2007, the next filming site was set up at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sixty students from the nearby Huron High School were cast as extras for the film.[19] Since additional filming was required of the area, twenty other students were used for a day of filming in September.[20] Altogether, filming took place in 20 cities in 14 countries.[21]
Visual effects
The New Zealand visual effects studio Weta Digital was initially selected to assist in creating a preview clip for the 2007 Comic-Con Convention.[15] The studio's 100 employees later developed the visual effects for 300 of the 600 shots in the film.[8][15][22] In total, there are more than 100 jumps in the film, and each jump was modified based on the distance and location the character(s) jumped.[23] The jumps were developed using Nuke and Shake.[15] Many of the shots, including those of Big Ben and the Sphinx were created using the program Maya.[23] Weta's VFX supervisor Erik Winquist explained how the visual effects of the jumps were created: "The concept of what a jump looks like changed and evolved a little over the course of post production. There are shots in the film that use still array footage but not in the same way that we saw in The Matrix. The Matrix was largely about stopping time whereas this was about using slow shutter speeds on those still array cameras to end up with a streaky motion-blurred image as the perspective was changing, which is a pretty interesting look."[23] Other visual effects studios that assisted with the film include Hydraulx, Digital Domain, and Pixel Magic.[15]
Critical reception
The film received widespread criticism and poor reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 16% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 142 reviews — the consensus was "An erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects."[24] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 35 out of 100, based on 36 reviews.[25] Austin Chronicle's Marc Salov called the film "...pretty slick, entertaining stuff, well-crafted by Liman, edited into a tight, action-packed bundle of nerviness."[26] Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net gave the film a positive review: "An impressive feat as a vehicle for Doug Liman to pull out the stops with some of the most jaw-dropping stunts shot in some of the most amazing locations on earth."[27] Jules Brenner of Cinema Signals gave the film a negative review, stating "...by mid way, you wish the jumper were you. Teleporting yourself to the outer lobby would be far enough."[28] Dustin Putman of www.TheMovieBoy.com also presented a negative review of the film, "With no one to root for, no adequate story development, and action scenes that are the epitome of underwhelming, Jumper is a lost cause."[29]
Box office performance
The film was released Thursday, February 14, 2008 in the United States and Canada, in the hopes of pulling in business on Valentine's Day.[30] The film was targeted at an audience of both males and females below the age of 25.[1] Jumper grossed $27.3 million on 4,600 screens in 3,428 theaters from Friday to Sunday, ranking first for the weekend at the box office.[1][31] In its first weekend, the film set the record for the largest February release in Korea and had the first place position in 11 of the 30 markets it was released in.[32] For the first two weekends of its release, the film maintained its number one position in international markets, while slipping to the second position in the United States to the release of Vantage Point.[33] As of June 11, 2008, its worldwide gross is $221,475,240 with $79,885,240 from the domestic box office and $141,590,000 from foreign markets.[34] It currently is the sixth highest grossing film worldwide for 2008.[35]
Novel tie-ins
Steven Gould, the author of Jumper and Reflex also wrote Jumper: Griffin's Story as a tie-in for the film. The novel, released on August 21, 2007, focuses on the character Griffin which was created by screenwriter David Goyer specifically for the film. Because Griffin had not appeared in the two prior novels, Gould developed Jumper: Griffin's Story as a backstory of the character's early childhood before the film. When writing the novel, Gould had to work closely with a producer of the film to ensure that the story did not conflict with the film's premise.[36]
Oni Press released a graphic novel that portrays several back stories related to the film titled Jumper: Jumpscars.[37] The novel was released on February 13, 2008, one day before the film's wide release. A publisher for Oni Press commented on the tie-in to the film, stating: "The world that was being built around these characters was so well-realized and the mythology so interesting that other stories about this conflict would be plentiful and add to what the filmmakers were building."[37] The novel was written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and illustrated by Brian Hurtt.
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
The score for the film was released on February 19, 2008, after the film's release in theaters. The tracks were all written by John Powell. The music was conducted by Brett Weymark and performed by The Sydney Scoring Orchestra.[38]
| Track # | Title | Length (M:SS) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "My Day So Far" | 1:03 |
| 2 | "Splash" | 1:31 |
| 3 | "First Jumps" | 1:37 |
| 4 | "Bridges, Rules, Banking" | 3:25 |
| 5 | "Surf's Up" | 1:12 |
| 6 | "1000 Volts" | 3:48 |
| 7 | "Roland Snoops" | 1:43 |
| 8 | "You Hear Me Laughing" | 1:01 |
| 9 | "Coliseum Tour" | 1:47 |
| 10 | "Coliseum Fight" | 2:25 |
| 11 | "Echo of Mom" | 0:50 |
| 12 | "Airport Departure" | 1:58 |
| 13 | "In Hospital" | 0:56 |
| 14 | "It's Sayonara" | 0:57 |
| 15 | "Race to Millie" | 1:25 |
| 16 | "David Comes Clean" | 3:24 |
| 17 | "Roland at the Lair" | 4:55 |
| 18 | "Jumper vs. Jumper" | 2:18 |
| 19 | "The Sacrifice" | 4:45 |
| 20 | "A Head Start" | 1:43 |
| 21 | "A Jump Off" | 1:36 |
Video game and DVD release
A video game titled Jumper: Griffin's Story was made for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Wii consoles. The storyline focuses on the character Griffin as he attempts to avenge the death of his parents. Nicholas Longano of the video game publisher Brash Entertainment stated, "From the very first script read, we knew this had to be made into a game. The teleportation elements make for some very compelling gameplay."[39] The game was released on February 12, 2008, two days before the film's wide release.[40] Game Rankings gave the Xbox 360 version of the game a 30% positive rating, based on twelve reviews.[41] The PlayStation 2 version received a 35% rating while the Wii version had a 23% positive rating.[41] Daemon Hatfield of IGN reviewed the Xbox 360 version and gave it a negative review: "Low production values, monotonous gameplay, and lackluster visuals make this a story you can jump past."[42]
The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in North America on June 10, 2008 and internationally on June 16.[43] Special features include a commentary, deleted scenes, an animated graphic novel, featurettes, and a digital copy allowing consumers to watch the film on portable devices.[43]
Sequel
Prior to the film's release, Hayden Christensen reflected on the possibility of one or more sequels: "This has definitely been set up in a way that will allow for more films, and Doug has been careful to make sure that he's created characters that will have room to grow."[8] In response to the film's box office performance, Doug Liman has spoken of his ideas for a sequel. Among them are that Jumpers can reach other planets and travel in time, as well as their capacity for espionage. He has also stated that Rachel Bilson's character will learn how to jump, just as in Gould's sequel, Reflex.[44]
See also
- Alfred Bester's 1956 novel The Stars My Destination
- Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1965 novel The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
References
- ^ a b c Gray, Brandon (2008-02-18). "'Jumper' Teleports to the Top". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Roberts, Samuel (February 2008), "A Big Jump", SciFiNow, pp. 36–40
- ^ Fleming, Michael (2005-11-10). "Liman in 'Jumper' suit". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Lytal, Cristy (2008-02-10). ""Jumper" storyboard artist Rob McCallum draws on his comic book cred". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Snyder, Gabriel (2006-04-03). "'Jumper' gets hopping with trio". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Kit, Borys (2006-07-10). "Jackson hops on 'Jumper'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Day, Aubrey (February 2008), "Leap of Faith", Total Film, pp. 65–69
- ^ a b c d e Dan (February 2008), "Briefing: Jumper", Empire, pp. 66–69
- ^ Sampson, Mike (2006-08-11). "'Hayden in on Jumper'". www.JoBlo.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Carroll, Larry (2008-02-14). "Eminem Almost Had Hayden Christensen's Role In 'Jumper'". www.mtv.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Laporte, Nicole (2006-10-15). "Bilson joins 'Jumper'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Rellinger, Paul (2006-09-05). "Film crew jumps around the city". myKawartha.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kiefer, Peter (2006-12-17). "'Oh My God, Can You Rent the Colosseum?'" (subscription required). New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Douglas, Edward (2008-02-13). "Spotlight on Jumper Director Doug Liman". www.ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e McLean, Thomas (2008-02-22). "Jumper: Using VFX to Disrupt Space and Time". VFXWorld. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Tillson, Tamsen (2007-01-26). "Crew member killed on sci-fi film set". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Reuters (2007-01-29). "Stagehand killed on set of Samuel Jackson film". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Jumper role leaves Hayden battered". The Times of India. 2008-01-14. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ McKee, Jenn (2007-02-24). "And ... action! Film shot at bridge" (dead link). Ann Arbor News. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ McKee, Jenn (2008-02-10). "Extra credit: Local teens with bit parts in "Jumper" will see who made the cut at movie's debut this week" (dead link). Ann Harbor News. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Gaudin, Sharon (2008-01-17). "Teleportation: The leap from fact to fiction in new movie Jumper". Computerworld. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Cardy, Tom (2008-02-16). "Transforming a reluctant hero". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Dawes, Bill (2008-02-16). "Jumping Around with Weta". Fxguide. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Jumper - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "Jumper (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Salov, Marc (2008-02-13). "Jumper". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Douglas, Edward (2008-02-13). "Jumper". www.ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Brenner, Jules (2008-05-24). "Jumper". Cinema Signals. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Putman, Dustin (2008-02-13). "Jumper". www.TheMovieBoy.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Goodman, Dean (2008-02-17). "Jumper leaps to top of North American box office". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Jumper (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Segers, Frank (2008-02-18). ""Jumper" tops overseas boxoffice". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Segers, Frank (2008-02-24). ""Jumper" stays atop international boxoffice". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Jumper". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "2008 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "Jumper Jumps From Film". www.SciFi.com. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b CBR News Team (2007-12-13). "PREVIEW: "JUMPER: JUMPSCARS" - PREQUEL TO UPCOMING FILM". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Jumper". SoundtrackNet. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Fritz, Ben (2007-11-12). "Brash leaps on 'Jumper'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Brash Entertainment Announces Jumper Video Game". GamersHell.com. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ a b "Jumper: Griffin's Story - X360". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2008-02-26). "Brash leaps on 'Jumper'". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Epstein, Ronald (2008-04-02). "JUMPER". Home Theater Forum. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Frosty (2008-02-13). "Director Doug Liman – Exclusive Interview – JUMPER". GamersHell.com. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher=