X
- 2019
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 29 m
- 2019
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 29 m
Summary After the death of his brother in Afghanistan, Jacob Singer is finally getting his life back together. He has a beautiful wife, a new born child and a successful career as surgeon in a VA hospital. When a stranger approaches him and tells him that his brother is actually alive and living in an underground shelter with other homeless vets...
Directed By: David M. Rosenthal
Written By: Jeff Buhler, Sarah Thorp, Jake Wade Wall, Bruce Joel Rubin
- 2019
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 29 m
- 2019
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 29 m
Jacob's Ladder
31
1.3
Where to Watch
Summary After the death of his brother in Afghanistan, Jacob Singer is finally getting his life back together. He has a beautiful wife, a new born child and a successful career as surgeon in a VA hospital. When a stranger approaches him and tells him that his brother is actually alive and living in an underground shelter with other homeless vets...
Directed By: David M. Rosenthal
Written By: Jeff Buhler, Sarah Thorp, Jake Wade Wall, Bruce Joel Rubin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
31
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
50% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
31
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
50% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
The new Jacob’s Ladder is less strange and scary, and more mindlessly action-packed. It doesn’t feel like a dream. It’s more like hearing a stranger describe a dream.
As an exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder in US war veterans, the psychological thriller Jacob’s Ladder was ripe for an update. As a piece of enjoyable ’90s shock schlock, it maybe should have just stayed where it was.
User Score
Overwhelming Dislike
Based on 10 User Ratings
1.3
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
80% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
User Score
Overwhelming Dislike
Based on 10 User Ratings
1.3
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
20% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
80% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
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 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
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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 avoid it, there's nothing worthy here. Better watch the original, by far a more meaningful film.
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There isn’t a bad performance in it, and those turns made me buy in just enough. It’s still a mixed bag, but for those in a “Ghost” frame of mind, it’s not bad.
A shabby low-rent thriller with a few vaguely interesting ideas and an ensemble that deserves better material.
As jumbled as all this is, the film never achieves the kind of sweaty intensity of the original.
Only the commitment from the always-solid Michael Ealy saves it from being one of the worst movies of the year, although just barely.
You can forge a decent drama out of elements this scrappy, but not necessarily a film like Jacob’s Ladder.
Just don't
seriously! It's not even laughably bad, this is a re-imagining, that misses the point and the plot of the original, fails to even get close the original ambience of the original.
I'm without doubt that those involved in the making of this debacle were not suitably competent, I'd be surprised if they'd even watched the original.
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no he visto la pelicula... la original es uno de mis largometrajes favoritos, pero si todos dicen que este remake es fatal, le daré una nota 0 solo para ver como cae ese porcentaje LOL! XD!
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The only thing worse than this movie is the fact Jesse Williams will keep getting work. It must be the only industry where you can be bad at you job and still keep it. Avoid at all costs.
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Terrible.... lifeless. I honestly have no idea what they were thinking making this. The original is insanly better.
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Production Company
LD Entertainment,
LD Entertainment,
Carolco Films,
Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films
Release Date Aug 23, 2019
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating R
