Here’s Why ‘Jumper’ Should Get a Reboot or a Sequel

It’s too easy to say that Jumper should be given a reboot ‘just because’. Not only that, it’s a juvenile reaction that doesn’t factor in why it wasn’t regarded as that great of a movie or even why it felt kind of incomplete. The overall idea of this movie felt like something that had a lot of potential, and even Hayden Christensen wasn’t that terrible in the main role. But it feels as though this movie could have been held in reserve for a while until it was the right time to bring it out. Plus, the movie felt as though it was building up to something great, and then the bottom dropped out somewhere in the third act. Imagining Paladins and Jumpers fighting a secret war that no one else knows about would have been the best idea for this movie since the dynamic between the two feels like it was a lot more interesting than what was shown. The many questions that were brought to mind when it came to how the Paladins were formed, how the Jumpers came to be, and why they didn’t like each other would have been a little more interesting. 

That alone is one reason why this movie should get a reboot, or maybe even a prequel to establish the reason as to why the two groups are bound and determined to fight one another. In a big way, it would appear that the Paladins are of the mind that they’re the heroes that are seeking to rid the world of the troublesome Jumpers. The Jumpers, on the other hand, are doing their best to survive and keep moving to stay ahead of the Paladins. The understanding in this movie is that some of them are decent individuals that might cause a little bit of trouble here and there, while others are worse and cause random bits of mischief that don’t hurt anyone but do tend to be kind of petty. 

An origin story of some sort might be a great idea if bringing this back is still an idea. There’s been talk of a TV series but it doesn’t appear to have become anything to get excited about. The fact that the movie featured Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, and Hayden Christensen makes it hard to believe that it didn’t rate any better than it did. But as I alluded to above, the movie kind of lost itself in the third act and doesn’t feel as though it was given a chance to be complete. While there was a showdown between the main characters at the end, it felt a little too anticlimactic and didn’t cap off the story as it should have. The idea of the Jumpers teaming up to take on the Paladins didn’t feel as though it was going to work if only because it was implied that there were fewer Jumpers than there were Paladins, meaning that the Jumpers were running for their lives and didn’t have it in them to organize and take down their enemies. Plus, the Paladins might likely have retaliated in a way that would have made it impossible for the remaining few Jumpers to escape extinction. 

But one fun aspect of this movie is that the main character, David, was revealed to be the son of a Paladin. While his mother attempted to save him by abandoning her family when David was still very young, the fact that he found her at the end of the movie invites the idea that mother and son would have to square off one day. That idea alone makes it feel as though a reboot or a sequel should be at least given a bit of serious thought since it could turn into something that might be enough to see another movie idea form. Plus, the idea that David proved to Roland that he’s not violent, or vengeful, by keeping him alive, but tucked away, for the time being, should be taken into consideration. What’s unfortunate is that thanks to the poor reception it’s very likely that we might never Jumper on the big screen again, if only because no one wants to take the risk on this story once again. 

It’s very easy to talk about a sequel or reboot for just about any story, but the reality is that until someone can convince the higher-ups, or someone with enough ambition, that this is a good idea, it’s not going to happen since the idea that this story could rise from the ashes doesn’t appear to be a popular one. One never knows what might be given a second chance, but until it happens it’s fair to think that Jumper might be left where it is, or given an underwhelming TV series. It’s a workable idea if someone would give it another chance.