Jacob’s Ladder (2019)

horror, movies, reviews 1 Minute

Directed by David M. Rosenthal.  Written by Jeff Buhler, Sarah Thorpe and Jake Wade Wall.  Starring Michael Ealy, Jesse Williams, Nicole Beharie, Guy Barnet, Joseph Sikora and Karla Souza.

Plot: after the brother he thought was dead returns home from war, a doctor struggles to maintain his sanity.

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When the lead writer has done The Midnight Meat Train (ugh) and the remake to Pet Sematary (double ugh), I should really not expect much going in, but I kept hope alive.  I am now saddened that I even turned it on.  Let me try to explain the plot a little.

Jacob Singer (Ealy), a surgeon, used to be in the army.  His brother, Isaac (Williams), was also in the army and died overseas in Afghanistan.  Once home with his wife, Samantha (Beharie) and their son, he begins to have disturbing nightmares.  Then, he meets a man named Paul (Sikora) who tells him his brother is alive.  Following the directions of Paul, he finds Isaac and that’s when things get goddamned ridiculous.

This is NOT a remake, it is a reimagining.  It is a completely different story than the original movie.  Prepare to be disappointed if you enjoyed the first as I did.  There was a great cast of people I have watched happily do other things, but in this, they faltered.  And I’m not even sure what this movie was trying to say, but I think an idea was buried somewhere under all the bullshit.  Watch at your own risk.

My score: 22.

Published by TaraRomero

I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero. 1. My favorite place in the world is Atlantic City. The food, the smells, the beach - I love it all. 2. I am particularly good at crafting. Especially scrapbooking and cross-stitch. 3. I am mixed. My dad is black and my mom is white. I'm very proud of both sides of myself. 4. My favorite food is either the cheesesteak or the hoagie. Not the sub, not the grinder, the hoagie. Totally different experience. 5. I have a number of pen pals I write snail mail to. We exchange stickers and little gifts sometimes, too. I have an extensive sticker collection. 6. I just reconnected with my father after 15+ years. It's going great so far. I've missed him. 7. My brother is my best friend, hence the reason we do this together. 8. I don't have a favorite book. I like too many to have a favorite. But Paul Zindel is my favorite author. Stephen King and Jane Austen are close seconds. I know, eclectic. 9. I'm not very religious at all. I consider myself agnostic. 10. I would say that my most prized possessions are my dogs, but I don't consider them possessions. I consider them people. They are my people.

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2 thoughts on “Jacob’s Ladder (2019)”

  1. Thanks for the review and mentioning the comparison, or lack thereof, to the original. I’ve read what this was about a few times and wondered if they just used the name or if it was a reboot. Seems they just used the name and went a different spin with it. I hate when that happens and don’t understand why they don’t just make it an independent movie with an independent name. Mike’s Ladder, Fred’s Ladder, there’s plenty of names out there to choose from. I would have been pissed if I went in wanting to see an updated version of the original with better visuals, just to be tricked into seeing a flop.

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