Jumper (2008, U.S.)

When 15-year-old David is about to drown (while saving something that belonged to his big crush, Millie), he realizes he can instantaneously transport himself anywhere he wants. (In this instance he goes to the Ann Arbor Public Library, which I thought was amusing.) Eight years later, he's living in NYC and using his talent to rob banks. Suddenly a shadowy group called Paladins, who hunt Jumpers, start coming after him. For some reason he decides this is the perfect time to travel to Italy with his girl. There he runs into a British Jumper who tries to explain how foolish David is being.

There's a lot of action, a lot of very neat special effects as they jump from place to place, and a lot of beautiful settings (Tokyo, the Coliseum, the Sphinx...). They didn't overcome the lack of coherent plot and overall logic. Why were the Paladins exterminating Jumpers? Where did the Jumpers come from? Why take a girl you haven't seen in years on a trip to Italy when you're being hunted by bad guys? How does the Brit Jumper know about the Paladins and how does he track them? Why bother making David's mother a Paladin, and why does she have another child who is irrelevant to the plot?

It really was a neat premise and had fabulous special effects, but there is no escaping from poor plot. Fail.

Rating: 2.5

Defiance (2008, U.S.)

Defiance was astounding. So astounding that I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for more Oscars. The story was incredibly moving, all the more so because it was based on a true story. It is really a testament to the human spirit. These brothers' ability to create a community and protect their people and their culture in the face of extreme hardship is inspiring, all the more so because they each stayed true to their beliefs. I thought that the story was well-adapted without making it over-dramatic/emotional while still impressing upon the audience the magnitude and meaning of this quietly heroic undertaking.

The acting was brilliant. I was really impressed with Jamie Bell, a 22-year-old kid who played the youngest brother with a perfect mix of innocence and maturity. Liev Shreiber's character was rough and stoic, and his gruff demeanor never faltered. Daniel Craig stole the show, as I knew he would. That man has talent. Pure talent. All three maintained convincing Eastern European accents too, which was an added bonus. (Word on the street is that the other recent WWII film, Valkyrie, has a scattering of British and American accents where there should be German ones.)

On top of the acting and the subtly told story, the music and scenery just put it over the top. Really, listening to James Newton Howard's beautiful, haunting score filled with violin solos by Joshua Bell while watching beautiful shots of Eastern European forests would have made this film worth seeing by itself, no plot necessary. More movies should be filmed on location. James Newton Howard should do more scores. (His Peter Pan score is one of my all-time favorites.) I can't reinforce enough how much these two elements contributed to this film. And if Defiance doesn't win the Oscar for Best Original Score, I will truly be blown away.

Rating: 4.5