It’s official. Hayden Christensen can’t act.

Not only that, but his shoddy acting and excessive pouting bring down what could easily be considered one of the campiest films of the season.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Not Christensen, I mean, even though fans of his cling stalwartly to the single, moderately-decent performance he gave back in 2004’s “Shattered Glass.” I mean about “Jumper.” It should come as no surprise that the movie was destined to be subpar. After all, it’s being released in February.

It’s always possible to read a studio’s expectations of a film by the release date set for it. If it’s a movie being released on 4th of July weekend, chances are it’s expected to be a smash. If it’s released at the end of December, unless it’s a horror movie slated for a Christmas release, it’s probably got Oscar written all over it.

But not the poor, beleaguered “Jumper.” Released in early February, affectionately known in Hollywood as the dead zone, this wannabe thrill ride is of the so-so variety. Where it succeeds is exactly where most would be compelled to crucify; it’s over the top effects, non-existent dialogue, and wooden performances provide the perfect afternoon distraction for any of those brave enough to suspend disbelief for an hour and a half and just watch things get blown up.

If only it weren’t for that damned Hayden Christensen.

Christensen stars as David Rice, a run-of-the-mill kid who discovers he has the ability to teleport around the world. Zipping through glitches in the space-time continuum, he soon discovers, is a great way to see the world and pick up girls. From Ann Arbor to Cairo (and into a few bank vaults along the way), he leads the life of a modern-day gentleman of leisure, until finally, someone starts to notice.

That someone is none other than bad ass du jour Samuel L. Jackson. Both he and his terrible, silver G.I. Joe crew cut have a bone to pick with David for his crimes against humanity. Further exploration reveals that Jackson isn’t the only one on the outs with “jumpers,” as people with David’s ability are called; he belongs to a group that’s been tracking down jumpers for centuries.

For reasons never quite explored, the Paladins go by a pretty simple philosophy of kill-or-be-killed in regards to the jumpers. Acting like neo-Spanish Inquisitors with dorkier ‘dos, the Paladins seek out jumpers with the rigor of churchmen gone horribly awry. And, suffice it to say, they generally get the job done well. David escapes Samuel L. Jackson’s clutches with a warning.

A brief encounter with imminent doom leaves David hankering for a bit of the past he left behind. Taking the opportunity to reunite with his middle-school sweetheart, Millie (Rachel Bilson, and I say middle school because the kid skipped town when he was like, 12), he also takes it as an opportunity to flex a few superpower muscles. While taking in Rome with Millie, he “jumps” to the restricted sections of the Colosseum for a private tour. As a result, imminent doom finds them both.

The film, helmed by director Doug Liman, is so ridden with absurdities that one must commit immediately to either hating or loving it, or run the risk of insanity. Liman, having spent the last greater half of the past decade in the shoot-em up action arena with “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. ‘ Mrs. Smith,” knows his way around explosives. He lets his experience do the performing for most of the picture, filling up vacuous screen space formerly occupied by Christensen and Bilson with big booms and magnificent landscapes.

“Jumper” is the sort of film that moves quickly – to stay any longer would be to wear out its welcome – but what it does linger on unfolds with gusto. But there is still the matter of you-know-who to address.

Hayden Christensen, who in recent years has become something of a poster boy for snot-nosed, emo entitlement, is in full form here as the ne’re do jumper. He should be perfect, even if he is bad, and it should be funny, right?

Wrong.

The schtick he shot to infamy with in the Star Wars prequels has been honed over a succession of crappy cinematic fares. Here, he appears before our very eyes as the very vision of jerkdom.

The problem isn’t simply that he’s a bad actor. The problem is that he’s a dread actor trapped in character already snot-nosed, emo and entitled. It’s emo jerk overload, made worse by the fact that the character he plays is supposed to be a protagonist. It doesn’t take long before you start to think these Paladins may really be onto something.

The introduction of Jamie Bell as an insouciant, rouge jumper in time for the film’s big finale injects vitality into the jumpers’ much-withering case for survival.

Although not technically an entry in the superhero genre, “Jumper” fits the mold in franchise terms. If successful, it may go on to become a franchise similar to that of the Fantastic Four – a mediocre, family-friendly affair that audiences revisit in the hangover spell between better franchises. To its detriment, not having been spawned with the comic book pedigree of the latter, the franchise may fail to register at all in the realm of sequels.

Shayna Murphy can be reached at [email protected].