I was surprised by how many people I know recommended this movie, or have at least heard of it. All I really knew about it was that it’s supposedly “pretty f***ed up.” Well, with a review like that you don’t have to ask me twice!
A very simplified explanation of the plot: A super young looking Tim Robbins plays a guy who was in the army and some really weird s*** happened to his platoon that he can’t fully remember, but now in the present day he’s seeing things that he thinks could be demons or just people trying to kill him in general, while also flashing back to his life before AND during the war. Thus, in a way, there are three different realities that the character jumps between frequently.
This is one of those movies where you really can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t, as the character may or may not be going insane, so you need to focus on what’s going on. (Don’t multi-task, and make sure you pause it if you go to the kitchen or you have to pee. Otherwise, you’ll be even more disoriented when you get back. Also, for my friends who like to get stoned when they watch movies, I highly recommend that you do NOT DO THIS for Jacob’s Ladder.) At least, this was how *I* felt. You might have a much better grasp on psychological film analysis and never ever get lost in the details. To be fair, I was admittedly waiting for more scary things to show up and I was never fully satiated.
Not that this movie isn’t creepy. There are several key elements that make it so:
1.) Scary visuals/makeup. The “things” that are appearing to Jacob are not fully human, and don’t really have faces. Um, some of them have tails. Need I say more? Also, this movie has its share of bloody guts and gore just…lying around places. Scattered and unexplained. Which is unsettling in its own way.
2.) Scary editing. The actors did that thing where they move their heads around slowly, then the footage is sped up to make it look shaky, fast and extremely bizarre. Very effective! Especially when coupled with loud, piercing noises. I learned that this was the first film to use this trick, and it inspired projects such as the Silent Hill games to employ the tactic.
3.) WTF?! Moments. You’ll see what I mean when you watch it. “Why are these people acting like this?” “Is this in his head, or what?” “Where am I? Did I just wet myself?” etc. The scenes on the subway also manage to perfectly capture the feeling that washes over me whenever I take the subway in NYC. It’s only a slight exaggeration, let’s be honest.
I only completely jumped out of my skin once, and it was due to creepy element #2. In my opinion, the scariest scene in the movie happens shortly after Jacob is pulled into a car by two men and escapes that situation, only to find himself strapped to a gurney and slowly wheeled from one room to another, which get progressively more gross, bizarre and unnerving. Yikes.
OH, by the way, holy uncredited Macaulay Culkin performance, Batman! (It’s kind of a downer, though.)
Overall, I give this movie 3 out of 5 pints of blood. The moments that are scary are pretty solid, but they’re brief. And I think the film was over-hyped for me before I watched it. If you’re into political conspiracies, war movies and psychological mindf***s, though, definitely give this a view! (If you haven’t already.)
No comments:
Post a Comment