Letters to the Editor
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Makes me think of another film...
This discussion brought to my mind a movie from a few years back called "Hollow Man", starring Kevin Bacon. It's also the story of a guy who acquires a power we all dream of having (in that case, invisibility) and promptly begins using it to satisfy all kinds of ugly, amoral impulses. It's a bit more extreme, in Kevin's case, since he becomes a ruthless murderer, and there is some question (at least I thought so) as to whether or not his psychosis is a side-effect of the invisibility treatment itself, but it's still a similar idea.
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Also...
...a great sci-fi/horror novel (set in the early 1980's) which deals with how having a super-power which allows one to circumvent legal/ethical limitations without consequences can lead to some pretty dark outcomes, I would recommend "Carrion Comfort" by Dan Simmons. In that book, the power is a form of telepathic mind-control possessed secretly by a few.
Alternately, take a look at any number of books written about the past 8 years of the Bush administration for a real world example of where power without accountability can lead.
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"Lumber-based"
Hahaha! Poor Hayden Christiansen, he sure is cute though.
But not cute enough to get me to pay money to see a POS like this.
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We recall the 4D Man a great movie from 1959
Robert Lansing was a scientist who acquired the ability to pass through solid objects. He became a murderous vampire. We give it 3 Hives!
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Maybe that's the point....
From what I understand, this movie's plot is a bit of a deviation from the books it's based on. I'm not sure how much never having read them, but if the filmakers took some creative liberties with some of the plot, then perhaps they were trying to say something about the "ugly American's" that need to be reigned in. You can't turn on the TV anymore without tripping over a show that's a metaphore for the Bush administration.
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Oh, for God's sake ...
Gould's novel Jumper is not "pulp." It's a sensitive, thoughtful story by a fine writer. The movie looks like it has nothing in common with the novel except the title and the gimmick. Unless you're one of those who automatically dismisses all science fiction as pulp, give the novel a try. And if you are one of those, well, I doubt your opinion on the movie is worth much either.
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Worst, review, ever,
This is without a doubt the worst Salon review I've ever read. Most of it is, unfortunately, riddled with, what I think are, commas, and therefore, reads like a newspaper, the kind you read in high school.
I've read your work elsewhere on the site, so I know you're a capable writer. Not sure what happened here. As one of your first movie reviews (or at least, so it seems from cursory searching), I'll give you a free pass this time.
If you do choose to embark on this again, a review of the film itself would be better than a mere plot summary coupled with political implications. Not that we shouldn't read deeply into films, but to do so I think we also need to analyze the more standard stuff first.
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Computer generated matte paintings
Matte paintings, and visual effects, regardless of how much you despise them, are not computer generated. they are generated by artists using computers. Shall I call your review a computer generated movie review?
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Hannaham wanks out some deep analysis
Wow. Amazing that a sci-fi action flick metaphorically communicates so very many aspects of the American psyche. I better re-watch clockwork orange to learn about the British.
How would we feel if the jumper was swarthy and cruising through porous U.S. borders? Guess that depends on how pre 9-11 you feel. Many of us remember extremely lax border security. Sorry, I still haven't managed to get my fear on about swarthy foreign people.
Then there's the "ugly american" bit. Remember being young? Old stuff was just old stuff that old people care about. That crosses cultural boundaries.
Ah well, some people never had dreams about flying. Maybe Hannaham is one of them.
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Hollywood does it again
The old adage that the screenwriter owes the author nothing reigns again. The original book shows a young vulnerable boy discovering jumping while escaping abuse and horror - achieving consciousness of his abilities and responsibilities which he then uses, in the book, to thwart plane hijackers and other "bullies". Yes, he often misuses his abilities, as most adolescents would, but rapidly matures. Unfortunately, a lot more observers of the American psyche will see the movie, rather than read the book.
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films cause terrorist plots?
Uh, not quite.
Blaming Hollywood for the negative image America has abroad is weak. Films have not changed much from what they were 10 years ago and yet the image of America has plummeted. Why? Because of what is happening in real life!
It is far too easy to envision the rest of the world as a moral universe frowning at American sins. The truth is that the rest of the world is not inherently better than the US, and indeed to a large extent people in many different cultures follow the cultural lead of the US. Do you know how much blue jeans sell for in Europe?
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This also says a lot about how H'wood thinks of fans of the book
I can't say I was a big fan of "Jumper," but seeings I read it in my 30s, I may not be the target audience. However, the Steven Gould book took an intelligent look at a cool superpower that comes at a moment of crisis (the hero's abusive father about to beat on him yet again). The book becomes a meditation on father figures and though the hero does fund himself through the bank, he has to deal with the guilt.
The film sounds dreadful, with the hero a self-funded trustfund baby and your typical villain plot. Though Gould's hero is a bit more weepy and sensitive, he sounds much more down to earth than this concoction.
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Ted Mills, I'd go even further...
I'd say the protagonist of this film represents the wish fulfillment of all the execs in Hollywood. Not only don't they know history, morality or respect for other people, they think such things are pointless. And they sell that as an ideal to the young jerks who watch movies like this and think underwear models like Hayden Christiansen are cool.
You wonder why the writer's strike took so long to settle? The heads of the megacorporations were all out sunning their buns on the Pyramids, rather than acting like mature human beings.