When I first heard of the Paz brothers (Yoav and Doron) found footage horror film JeruZalem, I was beyond excited. For starters, I’m Jewish, so there’s a certain connection I felt right away to the film, the same kind of connection I felt towards Big Bad Wolves, which gave me an understanding and appreciation that many of my goy friends simply didn’t have. Additionally, I’ve been to Israel several times and have visited Jerusalem pretty much every time I’ve gone there, so I’m able to enjoy that whole, “I’ve been there!” feeling that some of us get when watching movies that are filmed in locations we’ve been to. So, I guess it’s important to note that there might be some bias on my end.

When I was sent a screener of the film, I gave it every bit of my full attention. I turned off all the lights. I put on good headphones. I put the video in full screen mode. I set the computer down and eased back so that I wasn’t tempted to command-tab at any point to check on anything else. Nope, Jeruzalem had special importance to me and I was going to give it the reverence I felt it deserved. If only I’d known…

The plot of Jeruzalem is rather simple. We follow Rachel (Yael Grobglas) and Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn), two friends who fly out to Israel to party it up for a vacation in the Holy Land. On their journey out they meet Kevin (Yon Tumarkin), who convinces them to first go to Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, promising they’ll have a great time. As the three are living it up there, all Hell breaks loose (quite literally) and the three have to run for their lives through the maze of streets that is the Old City in Jerusalem, which is where some of the holiest sites on the planet reside.

Another important plot point to note is that Sarah and her father are both in various stages of grief due to the passing of Sarah’s brother, which is part of the reason she and Rachel are going on this trip. I won’t go into any more detail there but it’s an important piece of information.

Now, as many of you know, this movie is another addition to the found footage subgenre. However, what sets this movie apart is that instead of Sarah wielding a camera, she’s gifted Google Glass early on in the film by her father. How this sets this movie apart from other found footage films is multifaceted. For example, and this is a consequence that’s so simple yet so profound is that it allows Sarah the use of both of her hands. Any horror fan knows that the loss of one limb, for any reason, is incredibly detrimental, so this has huge implications.

Furthermore, a camera has three main things going for it: First, it records everything. Pretty obvious right? But that’s the whole basis of found footage films, so it’s important to note. Second, most cameras in the subgenre have a light attachment or something similar built in so that we can kinda see in the dark. It’s usually used to give us fleeting glimpses of whatever is stalking our protagonists. Last, they have night vision, which is used to show us what’s after the main characters, albeit without giving us the best look. We might see it clearly but the green coloring is hardly flattering.

Google Glass doesn’t have a built-in light, so we lose that second option. It also doesn’t have night vision, so lose the third perk that a camera has. However, it makes up for these losses by having built-in apps, such as GPS, text messaging, Skype, etc… These little things add a great deal of dimension to the film as they can introduce new concepts and new characters without them actually needing to be there, such as Sarah’s father. I’ve got to hand it to the Paz brothers for utilizing such an interesting piece of technology as the foundation for their film as it opened a great many new tricks that were delightful from my perspective as a voyeur. They explained to BD, “Using this technology, we can take the audience inside the head of the character (Sarah) and using social media (FB, Instagram, Twitter etc.) as a dramatic engine to the story.”

So, I’ll give credit where credit is due to JeruZalem for being set in a city that exudes atmosphere and history as well as adding a new dimension to the found footage genre, although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s an innovation. However, that’s where my praise is going to stop for, alas, the movie is almost biblically plagued with issues.

The biggest problem is that I couldn’t find it in myself to care about either Rachel or Sarah as the movie progressed. They’re just not relatable nor are they deserving of my empathy. Their actions and the way they communication with each other and those around them doesn’t inspire care but rather apathy. I simply couldn’t like them, which is a shame because they played their characters with obvious gusto.

The script is also terribly awkward at times, with characters saying lines that feel painfully forced. I’m getting really sick and tired of horror characters not being able to string together cogent sentences. Take a deep breath, gather yourself, and say what needs to be said.

While the movie takes place in the mysterious and incredibly atmospheric Old City of Jerusalem, it almost feels like a wasted landscape because of the found footage approach. Had the film used a standard narrative, it could’ve done wonderful sweeping shots of the city as well shown the ancient architecture. Alas, the mystery is lost in loads of interior shots and night shoots where the action is frantic and the city simply becomes a collection of streets.

Like I said earlier, I’ve been to Jerusalem many times. I know just how disorienting the Old City can be. It’s a balagan (a mess) of cross streets that wind and twist and go back upon themselves, creating a dizzying situation that I’ve never fully understood or felt comfortable in. I can therefore empathize with Sarah and Rachel, who are desperately running around trying to find a way out. I just didn’t get those feelings while watching the movie.

Then there’s this whole backstory that opens the film that honestly doesn’t seem all that necessary. It’s all to introduce a character that appears later in the film who also doesn’t feel needed. I really feel like the movie would’ve been much better off had the characters not been given any background history on what was going on and just found themselves thrust in the middle of the apocalypse. Then their terror would be all the more believable because they wouldn’t know what’s going on in a foreign country where they have no one to turn to.

And speaking of the apocalypse, for a movie that threatens the beginning of the end of the world, it never felt terribly dangerous. The finale, which takes place mostly in the dark, felt flat and didn’t have the punch that could’ve driven this film to greatness. It reminded me of World War Z, where the second act is the highlight and the third act felt so contained and simple in comparison. Had JeruZalem taken the second act of destruction and chaos and amplified it into something big and thrilling, this movie would probably become a fan favorite.

A quick nit picky complaint: There’s this glaring moment where Sarah goes to have sex and puts down her Google Glass on the table (conveniently aimed at the bed so that we can see her breasts). While she and the fella are “accommodating” each other, Sarah’s father begins texting her (which we see in the lens) to ask if she’s awake to receive a call and then proceeds to wait all of two seconds before sending further messages along the lines of “You must be asleep”, “Be safe exploring the city”, “I know I can trust you because you’re daddy’s princess”, etc… Are we supposed to feel like Sarah’s sexual encounter is something worthy of shame? That we should judge her for getting her groove on? Because it’s definitely not. She’s an adult, she’s out on vacation, she can do the horizontal mambo if she damn well pleases. It’s just a poorly timed and poorly thought out scene that wants the viewer to side with the father, who’s been in the movie a grand total of three minutes, if that.

Also, can found footage horror films stop doing that thing where the audio and video cut in and out intermittently when so much as gently tapped? I’m no expert on cameras but I don’t think that’s how it works. Also, how is the audio going to get all muffled and then suddenly become crystal clear again when it’s obvious that there is nothing impeding the microphone?

The Final Word: With so much to look forward to when it comes to Jeruzalem, it’s simply disappointing to see a film with such promise aim so low and a few redeeming factors are not enough to save this film. There may be three gates to hell but you’re not going to find any of them here.