Jumper
John Powell
" standard John Powell stuff "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
There's nothing remotely challenging about Jumper, Doug Liman's science fiction actioner in which Hayden Christensen appears to be a Jumper, a person able to teleport himself. Of course this little trick gets him noticed and soon, he becomes a wanted man. As said nothing remotely challenging, but it does make for an entertaining 84 minutes (yes it's over before you know it). Now considering Doug Liman worked with John Powell before on The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it was to be expected that he would become the logical choice for the job.
Now for 44 minutes, expect nothing challenging of Jumper by John Powell as well. It's the stuff we heard from him before, but if it works why change it? It's full of beats, rhythmic loops, playful intervals and occasional crowd pleasers (aka the action pieces). One could call the main theme a fun mix of those styles as it delivers a bouncy combination of piano, beats and horns to state its main theme ("My Day so Far" and "A Jump Off"), but it also forms the basis for many of the other cues ("First Jumps", "Surf's Up", "Coliseum Tour", "Airport Departure"). The score also has its occasional ethnic influences, but considering the story does take place in many European and Western places, that's hardly a surprise ("Bridges, Rules, Banking", "Roland Snoops", "Coliseum Tour", "Echo of Mom", "It's Sayonara").
But in the end, we came to see what John Powell had in store for the action scenes. And in this case, Jumper is sufficient but not spectacular. The first piece "Coliseum Fight" is surely a disappointment but the thunderous second part using brass and percussion in "David Comes Clean", the ferocious noisy "Jumper vs. Jumper" and the dramatic conclusive "The Sacrifice" (which one could see as a light version of "Death and Transfiguration" of Hancock) surely makes up for that loss. All in all, Jumper's nothing remotely spectacular. But it can entertain my thirst for about its duration. Sadly, the game version received a more memorable score instead (of Chris Tilton by the way). Just so you know.
Track Listing
1. My Day So Far (1.03)
2. Splash (1.31)
3. First Jumps (1.37)
4. Bridges, Rules, Banking (3.25)
5. Surf's Up (1.12)
6. 1000 Volts (3.48)
7. Roland Snoops (1.43)
8. You Hear Me Laughing (1.01)
9. Coliseum Tour (1.47)
10. Coliseum Fight (2.25)
11. Echo of Mom (0.50)
12. Airport Departure (1.58)
13. In Hospital (0.56)
14. It's Sayonara (0.57)
15. Race to Millie (1.25)
16. David Comes Clean (3.24)
17. Roland at the Lair (4.55)
18. Jumper vs. Jumper (2.18)
19. The Sacrifice (4.45)
20. A Head Start (1.43)
21. A Jump Off (1.36)
Total Length: 44.19
Now for 44 minutes, expect nothing challenging of Jumper by John Powell as well. It's the stuff we heard from him before, but if it works why change it? It's full of beats, rhythmic loops, playful intervals and occasional crowd pleasers (aka the action pieces). One could call the main theme a fun mix of those styles as it delivers a bouncy combination of piano, beats and horns to state its main theme ("My Day so Far" and "A Jump Off"), but it also forms the basis for many of the other cues ("First Jumps", "Surf's Up", "Coliseum Tour", "Airport Departure"). The score also has its occasional ethnic influences, but considering the story does take place in many European and Western places, that's hardly a surprise ("Bridges, Rules, Banking", "Roland Snoops", "Coliseum Tour", "Echo of Mom", "It's Sayonara").
But in the end, we came to see what John Powell had in store for the action scenes. And in this case, Jumper is sufficient but not spectacular. The first piece "Coliseum Fight" is surely a disappointment but the thunderous second part using brass and percussion in "David Comes Clean", the ferocious noisy "Jumper vs. Jumper" and the dramatic conclusive "The Sacrifice" (which one could see as a light version of "Death and Transfiguration" of Hancock) surely makes up for that loss. All in all, Jumper's nothing remotely spectacular. But it can entertain my thirst for about its duration. Sadly, the game version received a more memorable score instead (of Chris Tilton by the way). Just so you know.
Track Listing
1. My Day So Far (1.03)
2. Splash (1.31)
3. First Jumps (1.37)
4. Bridges, Rules, Banking (3.25)
5. Surf's Up (1.12)
6. 1000 Volts (3.48)
7. Roland Snoops (1.43)
8. You Hear Me Laughing (1.01)
9. Coliseum Tour (1.47)
10. Coliseum Fight (2.25)
11. Echo of Mom (0.50)
12. Airport Departure (1.58)
13. In Hospital (0.56)
14. It's Sayonara (0.57)
15. Race to Millie (1.25)
16. David Comes Clean (3.24)
17. Roland at the Lair (4.55)
18. Jumper vs. Jumper (2.18)
19. The Sacrifice (4.45)
20. A Head Start (1.43)
21. A Jump Off (1.36)
Total Length: 44.19