Jacob's Ladder

Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: August 23, 2019

1.3	USER SCORE Overwhelming dislike based on 10 Ratings

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JLuis_001Sep 2, 2019

This film has neither pretention nor ambition and everything seems done without real motivation, therefore it's a remake not only unnecessary but insulting.

Nothing is redeemable, nothing is recommended. I don't usually say this but avoidThis film has neither pretention nor ambition and everything seems done without real motivation, therefore it's a remake not only unnecessary but insulting.

Nothing is redeemable, nothing is recommended.
I don't usually say this but avoid it, there's nothing worthy here. Better watch the original, by far a more meaningful film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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TheQuietGamerSep 26, 2019

Wow, this was kind of surprise release huh? I remember hearing about the project some time ago and didn't expect it to come out with as little fanfare as it did. I can't blame Vertical Entertainment for trying to sneak this one out thereWow, this was kind of surprise release huh? I remember hearing about the project some time ago and didn't expect it to come out with as little fanfare as it did. I can't blame Vertical Entertainment for trying to sneak this one out there though, as the quality of this remake is very made-for-TV.

It provides an interesting spin on the original movie, but the writing ultimately doesn't hold up. Too many plot holes and things that just don't make any sense. Looking back at how neatly the 1990 film wrapped things up in a way that left the viewers without any questions they couldn't decipher on their own, the somewhat sloppier nature of this 2019 update's story is quite disappointing. Especially since the film plays its hand too early allowing you to see its somewhat unoriginal twists coming from a mile away.

You can tell the people behind this modernization were fans of or at least respected the original enough to try and treat the material with some dignity. They handled the reusing of scenes and plot points with a certain reverence. If the cult fanbase of that version can find it in themselves to look past the fact that this will never hold a candle to Adrian Lyne's take, then they may find themselves able to get a kick out of the number of seemingly loving nods made to it that can be found here.

Of course that will require them to overlook past the biggest oopsie David Rosenthal made in the director's seat, and I can see them being not so willing to do that. Part of the reason Jacob's Ladder (1990) is so loved is due to how surreal it is. That same man trapped in a nightmare quality is never recaptured here. There are a few moments where the reality of events is more than a little questionable, but never to the same horrific effect. It's more action packed and the pace is faster (which I appreciated), but won't freak people out in nearly the same way. With nothing to the same effect as the highly praised hospital sequence, it's not hard to see why the original's followers are likely to meet this with little more than contempt.

As inferior and flawed as it is, this remake is at least interesting in its attempt to to shake up the source material. I'd argue it also does a decent job at trying to recapture what makes its predecessor so well-loved, even if it misses the mark by some margin. Yet, for all of its ambition it's simply held back by the fact that when all is said and done it's just not very good.

5.9/10… Expand