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Teleporting In Movies And Television
Den Of Geek
As Jumper hits DVD next week, we offer a quick salute to the films and TV programmes that throw teleportation into their list of plot devices. There are some light spoilers ahead...
With Jumper hitting DVD next week, and with its central concept sat around the idea of teleportation, what better excuse did we need to find a series of other geeky TV programmes and films that made ample use of the teleport…?
Star Trek
Characters in Star Trek would, it seems, often teleport rather than walk, such was the temptation to be beamed up. It’s amazing they all managed to keep their waistlines…
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Does this count? We’re talking about the bit where Mike TeeVee gets turned into a load of television data and gets teleported into the telly? Maybe, maybe not. But we’re not above a bit of cheating…
Doctor Who
The Doctor only occasionally teleports, and then it’s someone else’s (see this season’s Sontaran two parter for an example). But The Invasion Of Time saw the Sontarans making use of teleportation technology, and we even saw Daleks using matter transportation – surely a teleport by any other name? – in Remembrance Of The Daleks…
Blake’s 7
You didn’t need much budget for a teleportation effect, and that’s as much reason as the good folks of Blake’s 7 needed. Everyone on the Liberator seemed au fait with the teleportation technology, and used it with the frequency of an Easyjet flight to Majorca…
X2: X-men United
The awesome opening sequence sees Nightcrawler using teleportation to perhaps the best effect seen to date on the big screen. It's a great film too, of course.
The Tomorrow People
Classic British sci-fi TV, and something we really need to write more about on this site. Among the selection of abilities that the group of characters possessed was teleportation, with TIM the computer helping sending them long distances as required. It’s quicker than waiting for the bus, after all…
The Prestige
Christopher Nolan’s film may feel a bit of a cheat on the first run through, and may even trouble the mind on the second, but it’s a cracking piece of work, and the teleportation device that comes into play at least guarantees a good couple of hours of debate...
The Fly
It’s a teleportation attempt that lies right at the heart of The Fly (and we’re focusing on the 1986 Cronenberg version here, although the Price version is, of course, just as pertinent), as Jeff Goldblum’s experiment goes badly wrong, but proves the catalyst to a superb piece of cinema.
Dante’s Cove
We’re reliably informed that there’s teleporting here, too, with the Tresum witches listing teleportation on their CV (cheers to Jenny for that one!)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
Does the electronic thumb count? We certainly think so, so it makes the list. Hurray!
Zeta One
They couldn't afford spaceships in this low-budget British flick (that we've talked about here), so the teleport was the only way to go...
Have we missed any off? Add them to the comments field!
User's Comments
Re: Teleporting In Movies And TelevisionSurely Sliders has to count! Granted, its teleportation to a parallell universe but transportation none the less no? Plus it kicked ass! Bring Sliders back!!!!!! | |
Re: Teleporting In Movies And Televisionyou totally forgot about charmed, which was A. a cult nerd show and B. used a lot of teleportation, not necessarily in the conventional since but teleportation nonetheless. | |
Re: Teleporting In Movies And TelevisionMisses:
1. Stargate - Are you freaking kidding me? How could you miss Stargate and their silly teleport rings?
2. Lost in Space - Although never directly referred to as teleporting I can only assume that is what happened to space creatures who vanished in a burst of smoke and fire.
They'd rather teleport than walk? What does that even mean? Unless a dire emergency they did not teleport throughout the ship. This comment makes no sense.
Finally, no the Thumb does not count. This is a communications device not a means of teleportation. |
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Hayden Christensen - the eponymous teleporter of 'Jumper'
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