Awake

There is never a dull moment through out the entire movie... When we first meet the various characters in the movie we quickly form first impressions of them...a young couple in love, a dominant mother not wanting to let go of her son, a friend you can trust, and then halfway through realize that oh boy...were we wrong or what?! I had goosebumps when the protagonists heart is cut open and he could still feel and hear the doctors!!! A part of me hopes that this never happens to someone i love!!! Love makes the world go around. And yes, money too :( The story centers around a business tycoon ,Clayton,who has to undergo a heart transplant. But due "anesthetic awareness" he is awake and can feel and hear the doctors during the surgery. But what is more painful....feeling or hearing? Watch it!!

Reminded me of one of those films you would rent from blockbuster for a Saturday night watch with the family. First the leads are very much early 00's style, both pretty, very likeable but whom ultimately always play a slightly modified version of themselves in all their films and this is no exception. Well, fine by me. The supporting cast are all recognisable faces that when first popping up, made me point and whistle at the screen from my arm chair. The film is well paced which is the true beauty of a good 90 minutes thriller. The story at first is quite interesting and even slightly terrifying considering that it is a real condition and you certainly go through a rollercoaster of emotions with all the different characters which ultimately is the films strongest suit. HOWEVER (and it is a big one) the story is very silly, with a stupid amount of plot holes that will leave you going "huh?", but that's what makes it fun! Currently I'm slightly fatigued of the current trend of long, deep, stylised, social commentary films coming out, and all I want is a story that will allow me to switch off after a long day and "Awake" let me do just that!

Some of the hardest reviews to write are the ones where you don't know what to say. "Awake" is one of them. Let me just start with the basics. Do I recommend it? Yes. Is it GOOD? That's what's hard to say about this movie. Some parts of "Awake" are good, but some are merely okay.

Like many thrillers, telling much about the plot defeats the purpose of seeing the movie. However, I will tell as much as I can.

The story goes like this. A rich young man named Clay (Hayden Christensen) goes into the hospital for a heart transplant, and he suffers from anesthetic awareness (meaning he can feel and hear everything, but can't do anything about it). This is key because what he hears changes everything.

That's about all I can say. "Awake" is an entertaining little thriller, and Jody Harold certainly has potential as a writer/director. His low-key handling of the film makes for an interesting, almost dreamy approach, but I don't know if it works like it's supposed to, because I have a feeling that it decreases the amount of suspense that the material warrants. That said, the unusual tone makes up for this deficiency.

The acting is solid too. Hayden Christensen became famous for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in the second and third "Star Wars" episodes. His first outing wasn't great, and called into question his acting ability. However, his second round with the light saber was terrific, and his performance here shows that "Episode 2" was more likely to be an anomaly than the norm when it comes to his acting ability. His co-star Jessica Alba isn't as good, but it proves that she has more acting ability than many people give her credit for (her reputation for being a tabloid sensation and the limited acting options that result from it are probably to blame). Terrence Howard is solid, but he isn't given much to work with. Same goes for Lena Olin.

Personally, I think it sucks when you like a movie but a lot of that feeling disappears when someone points out something that causes that to decrease. Such a thing happened with me and reading a review after watching "Awake," but I won't say it because it's still a good movie to see.

So, is "Awake" a good movie, or just a movie with enough good points to warrant a viewing? I'd say it's somewhere in between, leaning more towards good.

To me this was an entertaining mystery thriller. In the beginning I thought it was a bit slow but it was just necessary to let you know the characters. Once the surgery started it got interesting. Just the thought of being awake while under narcoses gives me the creeps. Glad I don't have to have surgery anytime soon. About the mystery itself i have to admit I didn't see it coming. And I'm glad about that because that's what makes a movie in this genre successful. About the cast they might not be the best actors ever but they still did a good job, nothing bad to say about any of them. Conclusion, if you do like a bit of thriller with a couple of twists that you don't see coming then you will enjoy Awake.

I'm not going to put any spoilers in this review, but this is certainly a movie with some great twists and turns. I haven't been this excited about an upcoming release since The Sixth Sense or Memento. Hard to believe this is the director's first feature (although it's possible he cut his teeth in the commercial or music video world... I'm not sure) I mean, certainly the film has a few problems, some of the moments didn't ring exactly true to me and the music was a touch maudlin at times. But when this film gets it right, it gets it really right. I was on the edge of my seat from the second act on. It's the first film I've seen in awhile that manages to balance a genuine emotionality with a strong thriller aspect. Even Hayden Christensen, who I think we all had our doubts about after Episodes I-III, puts in a memorable and affecting performance. Definitely a film to see and a director I'll be keeping my eye on.