Jump London DVD Review:

Developed from a childhood game in France Sebastien Foucan, Free-Running is now a recognised extreme sport. Using the urban jungle as their playground, the team use buildings and structures to perform feats of agility as they push their bodies to the limit. Now they are heading to London’s most famous landmarks to push Free-Running to the extreme.

The phenomenon of Free-Running is showcased in a documentary that reveals the discipline and concentration required to excel at this emerging sport. The problem is that we needed to see more of it.

There is no denying that Free-Running is an incredible feat of human dexterity but this documentary doesn’t showcase this fact enough. It rightfully starts with the origins of the sport and speaks to Sebastien Foucan and his team about what drives them to do it and the philosophy behind it. This is very insightful and reveals their sheer devotion to the discipline. The documentary then takes you through the difficulties the production team had getting permission from all the landmarks the team had chosen. This again is relevant as it shows the amount of preparation needed to get the most out of the sport and the health and safety problems behind it.

The problems come when we actually get to the team showcasing their talents. With the half hour build up and the numerous adverts that had showcased the extreme side of the sport, you expected the Jump London section to be astonishing but sadly it isn’t. For the whole of the twenty-minute showcase there are some truly astounding feats that push the human body to the extreme. Foucan’s jump on HMS Belfast is extraordinary and it is fascinating as the team free-run around iconic London landmarks like the Tate Modern, the National Theatre, the Millennium Bridge and the Royal Albert Hall but there does seem to be enough. Anyone who has seen the advertisement for BBC 4 will have been expecting a lot more feats of daring-do but sadly the documentary doesn’t deliver enough of them.

This aside, Jump London is still, at times, completely mesmerising and you will not be able believe that someone can be this confident in their own abilities. This is a fascinating introduction to a sport and discipline that showcases what the human body can do and it does make you want to know more.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in anamorphic 16:9 widescreen with a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack, the transfer is very good. Director Mike Christie visual style for the Jump London Showcase mixes many differing techniques which makes it hard to judge if the picture quality is excellent throughout but this doesn’t deter you from the spectacle. The stereo soundtrack does its job by emphasising the dialogue but it does set your speakers pounding, even during the musical sections.

BONUS FEATURES

Audio Commentary from Director Mike Christie and Producer Mike Smith
This is a very chatty commentary from two men that are very enthusiastic about their documentary. The pair discusses working with Sebastian Foucan and his team as well as the numerous people behind the scenes. The talk about each of the jumps and the health and safety issues involves as well as revealing how they working with the various London landmarks that featured on the shoot.

Making of Jump London (26.23 mins)

Director Mike Christie and producer Mike Smith take you behind the scenes of the shooting of their documentary. They reveal how the programme was a combination of performance and documentary as it showcases the amount of planning and preparation involved with Free-Running. Jason White discusses the health and safety issues behind the shoot and we get to see Jermone’s fall in all its glory.

Sebastien Foucan Interview (11.28 mins)

In extended versions of the interviews used in the documentary, the originator of Free-Running talks passionately about the discipline that pushes his life. He discusses the influences and origins of the emerging sport and how it is also an art form, which is just as much about performance as it is endurance. The then reveals the physiological effects of Free-Running and how it feels to complete a jump.

Split Screen Jumps
Watch the “Royal Nation Theatre”, “City of London School pyramid”, “City of London School 360o”, “The Bankside Triple”, “The Bankside Double”, HMS Belfast” and “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre” jumps from all the different camera angles the crew shoot all on the screen at once.

Multi-screen jumps
Watch the “Royal Nation Theatre”, “City of London School pyramid”, “City of London School 360o”, “The Bankside Triple”, “The Bankside Double”, HMS Belfast” and “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre” jumps full screen, pressing your “Angle” button to select your view point.

OVERALL
Even though the main feature is only 49 minutes long, the amount and quality of the extras makes this a very well packaged DVD. The commentary track is informative and funny and the making of featurette is more of an extension to the documentary than a piece of supplementary material. This makes the DVD a must buy for all Free-Running fanatics and a good rent for anyone who is interesting in finding out more about this emerging sport.

DVD Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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