JUMPER **½

Directed by Doug Liman this sci-fi/thriller stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane, and Michael Rooker. It's one and a half hours long and is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality.

After a nearly fatal accident a young man (Christensen) learns he can teleport himself anywhere. He spends several years developing this skill and then becomes reacquainted with a girl (Bilson) he had long been attracted to. While showing her the sights of the world he discovers he isn't the only one who can jump (Bell), and, there are those who wish him and all other jumpers as well as anyone acquainted with them, dead (Jackson).

There's a kernel of an interesting sci-fi story here but it doesn't seem well thought out. For one thing, we normal mortals aren't supposed to be aware of the jumpers and the battles between them and their adversaries. But since neither of the two go to much effort to hide their activity, it's hard to imagine someone wouldn't have noticed something down through the ages. And you have to wonder why perfectly innocent and unknowledgeable people are killed. My real problem with the film, however, is the producers seem very intent on making sequels and consequently leave too much of this plot unresolved. Still, there's a fair amount of action and this is a quality cast so sci-fi/action fans should be reasonably pleased.