Jump (2012)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Trailer-x 2 for other films
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	77:41
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Kieron J. Walsh
Studio Distributor	Curious Film	Starring	Nichola Burley Martin McCann Lalor Roddy Richard Dormer Charlene McKenna Valene Kane Ciaran McMenamin
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	Edith Progue

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The lives of a number of people intersect on New Year’s Eve in Derry, Northern Ireland. Pearse (Martin McCann) is asking too many difficult questions about the disappearance of his younger brother Eddie after Eddie come into conflict with crime boss Frank Feeney (Lalor Roddy) and as a result he is being hunted by Feeney’s men including Ross (Ciaran McMenamin) and Johnny (Richard Dormer), who has a guilty conscience and wants out. Shop assistant Marie (Charlene McKenna) and her friend Dara (Valene Kane) are just out to have a good time, while Feeney’s daughter Greta (Nichola Burley) is contemplating suicide. When Pearse stops Greta from jumping off a bridge, a chain of events start that will forever change the lives of the participants.

     Jump is based upon the stage play of the same name by Lisa McGee and is directed by Kieron J. Walsh who also co-wrote the screenplay. Films with multiple storylines are often difficult to pull off because particular characters or situations can be more interesting than others and, for me at least, Jump does not quite succeed. The focus of the story is Greta, and Nichola Burley makes her an interesting character. Greta provides the voiceover narration and her relationship with Pearse drives the story. This means that for most of the time the actions of Marie and Dara feel a distraction and the intersection between plotlines, when it comes, is very contrived. What works better is that the chronology within the film is scrambled, although this is not clear at first, which helps to sustain interest.

     With a running time at just over 77 minutes, the film jumps straight into the events and leaves little time for character development or backstory. The frenetic pace, the thumping soundtrack, the good performances, especially by Nichola Burley, the fractured timelines and a few surprises mean that Jump is certainly worth watching.

Video

     Jump is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. The original ratio, sadly, was 2.35:1 resulting in a substantial loss of information in the frame.

     The film is set over the course of one night but the print handles the juxtaposition of the darkness and bright lights outside bars and clubs without problems. The film was made using digital cameras which give glossy but flat colours which provide almost an otherworldly look that works well for the film, such as when Greta in her wings walks through the crowd. Some colours under lights, including skin tones, have that yellowish digital tinge. Blacks are solid, shadow detail very good. I noticed no artefacts or marks.

     There are no subtitles.

     The cropping of the film was obvious in a number of places where characters are talking half out of screen, and in one jerky pan and scan. One mark is deducted from the video score in line with site policy.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track at 448 Kbps.

     This is a film where subtitles would have been useful. Right from the opening voiceover narration by Burley, some of the dialogue is very difficult to understand due to the accents, sometimes compounded by the music; coming from a stage play the dialogue is important and I did feel as though I missed some important information along the way. The surrounds were frequently in use for music, partying in the bars and on the street, and general ambience. The subwoofer added bass to the music and crowd noises.

     The score by Edith Progue included a range of rock songs and was effective.

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Trailers

     On start-up there were trailers for Broken (2:15) and The Rocket (2:17). There are no other extras and the trailers cannot be selected from the menu, where “Play” is the only option.

     The Region 1 US release of Jump is in the correct aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and includes a number of extras including commentaries by the director and producer, over 90 minutes of cast and crew interviews, storyboards and a film trailer. It has only Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio but in all other aspects the Region 1 is a mile ahead.

     The contrived, intersecting storylines of Jump may have worked better on the stage but the film is worth watching because of Nichola Burley, the breathless pace and the jumbled chronology, which keeps things interesting.

     The audio is good, but the video is in the incorrect aspect ratio and we miss out on extras. Given that the Region 1 US release is in the correct ratio and includes an extensive range of extras, the local version is hard to recommend, whatever the merits of the film.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall