The term “Jacob’s Ladder Scenario” has been part of my vernacular for well over a decade (thank you, How Did This Get Made), as it simply has one of the most memorable twists in all of cinema. Other films that have done something similar are immediately compared to Jacob’s Ladder, and for good reason: it’s the mindfuck of all mindfucks. So it’s nice to finally have the film on 4K, with Lionsgate Limited giving it a very snazzy Steelbook release. I was lucky enough to be sent a copy to review and, like many LL releases this past year, it did not disappoint.
The Steelbook itself is absolutely gorgeous, with some great original art by Ruiz Burgos that sticks out from some of the more standard stuff that we see these days. Part of the art is printed on a plastic sleeve, with the Tim Robbins part printed on the Steelbook itself. They combine for a gorgeous image. Plus, you can’t beat getting a little bit of extra protection for the casing, which can sometimes be prone to scratches and dings. Even the inside, which can often be barren, features some beautiful artwork from moments in the film.
As for the transfer itself, Jacob’s Ladder has never looked great. The DVD was muddy, and the Blu-Ray never appropriately highlighted how gorgeous the film can be. The 4K does a great job of cleaning things up without going overboard. It helps that director Adrian Lyne supervised the restoration. There’s still an appropriate amount of grain present, and I’m glad they didn’t DNR it to death. The film grain retains a much-needed texture, especially during the war scenes.
Despite having a Dolby Vision transfer, the audio is not available in Dolby Atmos, which is a bit surprising. It does however feature a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as the original theatrical Stereo Mix, for those that want the exact version they remember from 1990.
Sadly, there’s only one new feature, titled “The Rungs of Jacob’s Ladder.” The brand new featurette runs over 29 minutes and is an interesting retrospective. You’d almost expect Tim Robbins to skip out on it, but he shows up, giving some interesting anecdotes. Also featured are director Adrian Lyne, screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, and Film Historian John D. Connor. There are some strange playback issues where there’s a slight stutter on the Bruce Joel Rubin and Adrian Lyne footage, indicative of a camera issue while filming his portion. But everything else in the featurette looks great.
Still, the disc is loaded with legacy Specials like:
– Audio Commentary by Director Adrian Lyne
– Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Host of “The Projection Booth” Mike White
– “Making of” Featurette
– Building Jacob’s Ladder
– Prepare the Way: Interview with Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin
– Where Is the Ladder? The Locations of Jacob’s Ladder
– Hidden in Plain Sight: Spirituality in Jacob’s Ladder
– Something’s Wrong with My Head: Vietnam War Trauma and Jacob’s Ladder
– Deleted Scenes
– Trailer Gallery
I won’t lie, despite owning a copy of the Blu-Ray, I hadn’t watched Jacob’s Ladder in quite some time. It’s an intense watch so not one I’m prone to rewatch a ton. But I’m glad that this gave me the chance to revisit it, as it finally feels like a release worthy of the film. Like the film, it’s not perfect, but it feels true to the original look of the film. If you like the movie, then it’s more than worth adding to your own collection.
Jacob’s Ladder 4K Steelbook is Now Available from Lionsgate Limited.
The post Is The Jacob’s Ladder 4K Steelbook Worth An Upgrade? appeared first on JoBlo.
No comments:
Post a Comment