Critical Receptions
The film received widespread criticism and negssative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 16% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 156 reviews, with an average score of 4/10; the consensus was "An erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects." Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 35 out of 100, based on 36 reviews. Austin Chronicle's Marc Salov called the film "...pretty slick, entertaining stuff, well-crafted by Liman, edited into a tight, action-packed bundle of nerviness."Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net wrote that the film was "An impressive feat as a vehicle for Doug Liman to pull out the stops with some of the most jaw-dropping stunts shot in some of the most amazing locations on earth." Empire had a verdict of " Liman’s least charismatic action movie and the least developed, but it still packs some cracking action into its brief running time and lays foundations on which a great franchise could be built." Jules Brenner of Cinema Signals gave the film a negative review, stating "...by mid way, you wish the jumper were you. Teleporting yourself to the outer lobby would be far enough." Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com also presented a negative review of the film, "With no one to root for, no adequate story development, and action scenes that are the epitome of underwhelming, Jumper is a lost cause."
Steven Gould, the author of Jumper and Reflex also wrote Jumper: Griffin's Story as a tie-in for the film. The novel, released on August 21, 2007, focuses on the character Griffin which was created by screenwriter David Goyer specifically for the film. Because Griffin had not appeared in the two prior novels, Gould developed Jumper: Griffin's Story as a backstory of the character's early childhood before the film. When writing the novel, Gould had to work closely with a producer of the film to ensure that the story did not conflict with the film's premise.
Oni Press released a graphic novel that portrays several back stories related to the film titled Jumper: Jumpscars. The novel was released on February 13, 2008, one day before the film's wide release. A publisher for Oni Press commented on the tie-in to the film, stating: "The world that was being built around these characters was so well-realized and the mythology so interesting that other stories about this conflict would be plentiful and add to what the filmmakers were building." The novel was written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and illustrated by Brian Hurtt.