2008 Woodie Awards
'Jumper' lacks resolution; '10,000 B.C.' disappoints
Jenna Penquite
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Entertainment
"10,000 BC"
In this film directed by Roland Emmerich, a young tribesman (Steven Strait) must make a journey through unseen lands to find and save kidnapped members of his tribe - one of which includes the woman he is promised to (Camilla Belle).
There are a few redeeming moments in this movie, (mostly due to the absolutely stunning CGI effects, and the creative look of wooly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and the building of the pyramids in ancient Egypt), but overall this is a disappointment of a movie.
The acting is shallow with the accents ranging from Middle-eastern to Russian - sometimes in a single sentence.
The setting is nowhere near realistic. The main hero speaks in unsteadily accented English while all the villains had strongly hooked noses and spoke in unintelligible guttural languages with subtitles.
Overall, this movie was a disappointment - one definitely not worth waiting 10,000 years for.
Grade: C-
"Jumper"
Starring Hayden Christiansen as David Rice, "Jumper" is a science fiction film about a boy who discovers that he can "jump" to anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye.
At first, he uses his gift to secure a future for himself by robbing a bank. Eventually, he discovers that he can live his life of over-indulgence by traveling all across the world at will. His life of leisure abruptly comes to an end when he meets Roland, (Samuel L. Jackson), a "Paladin" whose sole mission is to exterminate every last jumper in the world. David must use his abilities to escape from Roland and save himself and the girl that he loves.
"Jumper" is an extraordinary collection of special effects, as well as twists and turns in the storyline. However, it was once said that the integrity of a story should not depend on the existence of a sequel. This movie breaks that concept. The ending did not resolve any of the plot. I would only suggest spending money on this to see the special effects, because if you want to know how David Rice ends up - you'll have to wait for the sequel.
Grade: B-
In this film directed by Roland Emmerich, a young tribesman (Steven Strait) must make a journey through unseen lands to find and save kidnapped members of his tribe - one of which includes the woman he is promised to (Camilla Belle).
There are a few redeeming moments in this movie, (mostly due to the absolutely stunning CGI effects, and the creative look of wooly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and the building of the pyramids in ancient Egypt), but overall this is a disappointment of a movie.
The acting is shallow with the accents ranging from Middle-eastern to Russian - sometimes in a single sentence.
The setting is nowhere near realistic. The main hero speaks in unsteadily accented English while all the villains had strongly hooked noses and spoke in unintelligible guttural languages with subtitles.
Overall, this movie was a disappointment - one definitely not worth waiting 10,000 years for.
Grade: C-
"Jumper"
Starring Hayden Christiansen as David Rice, "Jumper" is a science fiction film about a boy who discovers that he can "jump" to anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye.
At first, he uses his gift to secure a future for himself by robbing a bank. Eventually, he discovers that he can live his life of over-indulgence by traveling all across the world at will. His life of leisure abruptly comes to an end when he meets Roland, (Samuel L. Jackson), a "Paladin" whose sole mission is to exterminate every last jumper in the world. David must use his abilities to escape from Roland and save himself and the girl that he loves.
"Jumper" is an extraordinary collection of special effects, as well as twists and turns in the storyline. However, it was once said that the integrity of a story should not depend on the existence of a sequel. This movie breaks that concept. The ending did not resolve any of the plot. I would only suggest spending money on this to see the special effects, because if you want to know how David Rice ends up - you'll have to wait for the sequel.
Grade: B-
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