Jumper parents guide

Jumper Parent Guide

Overall C-

Davey (Hayden Christensen) has just discovered he's a Jumper, someone who can teleport his body anywhere in the world. However, when he starts to use this power for his own purposes, he accidentally angers some formidable foes --and quickly learns he is not the only person with this amazing ability.

Release date February 13, 2008

Violence D+
Sexual Content C+
Profanity D+
Substance Use C

Why is Jumper rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Jumper PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.

Run Time: 88 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Imagine being able to transport yourself anywhere in the world just by willing it. It’s a talent David Rice (Max Theriot) discovers while being bullied in high school. After considering the possibilities his new ability presents, the 15-year-old decides to follow in his mother’s (Diane Lane) footsteps and run away from his emotionally distant father (Michael Rooker).

Now with a few years under his belt, David (Hayden Christensen) is a materialistic young adult living comfortably in a New York City high rise. He’s perfected the art of “jumping” to the point of rarely using regular means of travel. He supports his lavish lifestyle by dropping into bank vaults and picking up wads of cash whenever he needs them. The rest of his time is spent darting around the world, romping with beautiful women, enjoying exotic locations and sneaking into restricted zones.

On a whim, he decides to visit his hometown where he finds his high school crush, Millie (Rachel Bilsosn), toiling away as a barmaid. Inviting her to come to Rome, he books two tickets via a conventional travel mode. But David’s foreign adventure is disrupted when he discovers another jumper. Griffin (Jamie Bell), a more savvy and experienced teleporter is only steps ahead of Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) and the rest of the Paladins, a quasi-religious group of fanatics intent on killing the jumpers.

Like David’s erratic leaps across the continents, the script takes some huge bounds in logic. The source of David’s powers is unexplained and although the conflict between the Paladins and jumpers is centuries old, the reason for the rancorous relationship is never revealed. However, once the pursuers capture a jumper—using their electrified, tazer-like weapons—the victim is brutally stabbed to death before they can use their abilities to do evil. (Apparently the hordes of stolen money and merchandise David has already collected are not considered to be unscrupulous, nor is driving at excessive speeds through crowded city streets.)

In his gravest voice, Roland reminds David that every action has a consequence, but the reality is very few if any penalties are shown for anyone. Drinking, fistfights, premarital relations, an extreme sexual expletive and hand gesture along with weapons, like flame-throwers, bombs and kitchen knives, are all employed without reservation in this fast-paced action film.

Yet unlike other mutants who often use their powers to help an ailing society, David seems to find little use for his talents other than meeting his own self-serving interests. With plenty of violence and language concerns throughout this adventure, the famous locations this world traveler visits might be beautiful to look at, but parents likely won’t be jumping to take their kids to see them.

Starring Jamie Bell, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson.. Running time: 88 minutes. Theatrical release February 13, 2008. Updated

Jumper
Rating & Content Info

Why is Jumper rated PG-13? Jumper is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.

Once he discovers his ability to transport himself almost anywhere in the world, David makes an initial stop at a bank where he clears out the vault. He also steals merchandise from stores. A boy falls through the ice and is pulled downstream by the river. The Paladins use electrically charged weapons with harpoon-like wires to capture the jumpers who are then stabbed to death in a graphic depiction. Other characters are punched, kicked and caught in the middle of a war zone. The jumpers transport vehicles, buildings and weapons during their war with the Paladins and fall from tall buildings. A man is shown urinating on a national monument. Unmarried couples engage in sexual activity. (Underwear and morning after scenes are shown.) Vulgarities, profanities and terms of Deity are used and ample scenes of drinking are shown.

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Jumper Parents' Guide

How does David’s use of his mutant powers differ than other characters like Spiderman or the Fantastic Four?

What makes Millie suspicious of David’s explanation of his wealth? Why is he hesitant to let her in on his secret?

If you could “jump” anywhere in the world, where would you choose to visit first?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Jumper movie is June 10, 2008. Here are some details…

Jumper releases as a single flipper disc (offering both wide and full screen) with the following bonus features: an audio commentary by director Doug Liman, writer/producer Simon Kinberg and producer Lucas Foster, Jumping From Novel To Film (the past, present and future of Jumper), Making An Actor Jump and Previz: Future Concepts. Audio tracks are available in Dolby Surround 5.1 (English) and Dolby Surround (Spanish and French), with subtitles in English and Spanish.

The Jumper Two-Disc Special Edition provides the above-mentioned single-disc content along with: Doug Liman’s Jumper: Uncensored, Jumping Around The World, Jumpstart: David’s Story Animated Graphic Novel and deleted scenes.

Jumper is also available on Blu-Ray Disc, authored in BD-Java with AVC (MPEG 4 compression) on a dual-layer 50 GB disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French and Spanish Dolby Surround and Spanish, Cantonese, Korean and Mandarin subtitles.Bonus materials include all the listed features plus PIP Jumping Around the World.

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Also pegged as mutants, the X-Men use their combined powers to fight evil forces in society. Hayden Christensen plays another tortured soul with extraordinary powers when he takes on the role of a grownup Anakin Skywalker in the movies Attack Of The Clones and Revenge of the Sith.