The Awakening

This thriller of an independent film has a little bit of everything.

"The Awakening" was well executed on many levels. The first thing that I noticed was the film's look. The cinematography looked good with a good amount of contrast without being overbearing and a wide variety of shots. Most of the film was shot relatively unsaturated which gave it a slightly grey, uneasy color. Juxtaposing the unsaturated look with the more vivid, friendlier moments helped build the desired suspense.

Editing for "The Awakening" was a bit unusual, out of the mainstream, with cutting that I can only describe as a hybrid of Edgar Wright movies ("Hot Fuzz," "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World") and television sitcom "Scrubs." This created almost a throwback film but with a new age feel that was different without being abrupt.

The movie's subject matter will likely affect some people's interest. The film is definitely geared towards a younger audience. It does include swearing and mildly graphic imagery which won't deter most youth. This isn't the kind of film you would want to take your grandmother to, or, in some cases, your mother. It is a strong 17 to 30 film which can reach beyond that age group.

The plot worked around a demon/god possession concept which Rotonda and Schaefer take beyond the cliché exorcism films.

The acting in the film was well executed with the majority of the cast delivering strong, natural performances. The chemistry between Donovan (Brian Schaefer) and Amanda (Emersen Riley) was great as their characters' relationship progressed in an unforced way. Also the character of Roy (Kevin Lowe) played a funny and hapless protagonist throughout the film. Lowe's facial expressions alone could tell a story.

The soundtrack was another highlight of this film; the music fit the story progression with a great alternative rock sound.

Overall the film delivered on all the levels to be expected. Its foundation was strong with plenty of background information. It is good, and if you're a fan of indie films, I suggest you get the chance to see it.

Do not waste your time on this film for one good special effect (and even that is milked for all it is worth). Who would put their name on this film or even want to be remotely connected with it? It really is that bad. Pish poor in all departments, especially scripting and acting. It looks like one of those films where friends fill in for extras. The problem is the friends stick out like sore thumbs as soon as they realize the camera is running. I also gave this one a look based upon the 4 star rating on Netfilx. It took about 3 minutes to realize I had been misled. I stayed with the film for the duration but it only got worse and worse. And how about that "shock" ending?? Hee hee, who didn't see that one coming? Jeesh!

A group of LA twenty-somethings are lured out of the city and out into the wilderness in search of a rave...

This film has possibly the lowest rating of any film I have seen in a long time. For whatever reason, Netflix suggested it to me with a very high probability of my liking it. But I knew in the first two minutes that it was a bad movie. Thanks, Netflix.

The volume of speech versus music is obnoxious, the plot is terrible until the second half. In fact, the first half spends a good deal of time focusing on a rave that nobody care about. The special effects are nothing to brag about (and the film almost could have been better if they never used any effects at all). I was hoping the old, grainy look would add atmosphere... but it did not.

Failure, failure, failure.

Like others, I found this film through Netflix, with an exceptional rating for a horror movie. Honestly, I suppose it could be worse, but right from the get-go it has that "student film" quality about it. The actors appeared untrained, the special effects were terrible, and the entire movie looked like it could have been made on a budget of $500 or less.

As someone who has acted in a number of student films, I found it entertaining, but it doesn't deserve credit as a professional movie, and it definitely doesn't deserve four stars on Netflix. As an amateur film, it's not bad. It might even be worth watching for a couple chuckles, but if you're looking for a good movie that actually scares you, this is not the movie for you.

As an amateur film, I give it 7.5/10, but as a professional film I give it 1/10.

I feel bad slagging this film. It's like badmouthing a grammar school play. This is not a real movie. It's cheap digital video with poor production values and sub-sub-par acting. Somehow this is appearing as a recommended film on netflix. And it has a 4+ star review rating there. It is artificially inflated. I warn you not to bother. Not because it's terrible, but because it's not a movie. It's someone's goofy little project.

As I said, I feel bad slagging it. But I chose to do so because I felt cheated by Netflix for recommending this to me. One might come to the conclusion that there is "fishy business" going on in the over-inflated review scores on netflix.

It's not a bad movie, in fact, it's not a movie at all. Don't bother.

And one more time - don't bother