This is under E because of star Michael Ealy
Writer: Jeff Buhler, Sarah Thorpe (Screenplay) Bruce Joel Rubin (Original Screenplay)
Starring: Michael Ealy, Guy Burnett, Jesse Williams, Nicole Beharie, Joseph Sikora
Plot: After his brother returns home from war, Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Another Pointless Remake
Story: Jacob’s Ladder starts as Jacob Singer (Ealy) returns home after a stint in the military, where his brother Isaac (Williams) is killed in action, with Jacob unable to save him, taking up his job in the local hospital as a trauma surgeon, starting a family with his wife Samantha (Beharie), he looks to get on with his life.
Jacob’s life is turned upside down, when he starts meeting deceased war veterans which leads him to find his brother, alive, bringing him home, only learning about the changes he has been through, not being the man, he once knew.
Thoughts on Jacob’s Ladder
Characters – Jacob is a military surgeon that saw traumas of war first hand, including what he thought was his brother’s death, back home he returns to the hospital for work as he starts his own family. It soon takes a twist for the worst when his brother isn’t dead and he starts seeing things that aren’t there, needing to piece together everything. Isaac is Jacob’s brother that he thought died in the war, he comes back dealing with his own problems, needing his brother’s support, being one of many survivors from the war. Samantha is the wife and mother that is always around the brother’s she wants to help them both sort out the problems they are dealing with. Louis is the doctor that has been treating Jacob and his return and wants to try and help Isaac too, being the closest to help they will face after leaving the military.
Performances – Michael Ealy takes the leading role in this film, he struggles to make an impact here, which might be more because of the awful character twists he must try to go through. Jesse Williams and Nicole Beharie both do what they can with their supporting roles, which are mostly in the background.
Story – The story here follows a war veteran who has returned from war believing his brother died only to learn his is still alive and he starts seeing his life unravel on front of his eyes. This is a remake of one of the most popular stories ever, we do try to see something different only to give us one of the most confusing stories of the year, where the film throws out a twist that makes zero sense. You will find yourself scratching your head more than often than not, which will only leave you disappointed with any directions we are given.
Horror/Mystery – The horror is more about the imagery that we are put through, rather than being anything that is scary, while the mystery is there, only not interesting enough to solve, seemingly having little to do with what we saw in the original.
Settings – The film uses the modern-day settings which are meant to show how difficult it is meant to be for a war veteran to return home.
Special Effects – The effects are not designed well, with most just being disjointed throughout.
Scene of the Movie – Nothing.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – That different twist.
Final Thoughts – This is a largely disappointing remake that just looks like a mess, doesn’t adding up in anyway through the film.
Overall: Poor and Pointless Remake.
