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!!

Thanks to what was the craziness of how hot hot hot Jessica Alba was this past year, a lot of people, including me, really didn't wanna see a movie with her. Yes, she's beautiful, but can she act? The eternal question where I finally saw something, Awake, she actually did a decent job. I rented Awake the other day and watched it, this was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I have to say, this was a first, I really did not see that conclusion coming. It was awesome to see a movie that had a clever script, was it realistic? I wouldn't necessarily agree, the movie and story does have it's flaws here and there, but if you let them slide, it's a fun little thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Clay has everything: money, a loving mom, a company of his own, a world in his hands, and a beautiful woman, Sam. But unfortunately, his heart isn't so lucky, so much so that he needs a transplant, and his trusted friend Jack Harper is going to do the transfer for him. But his mom is begging him to re-consider and have another surgeon do the operation, but Clay says she just has to trust his instincts, which may be the biggest mistake he can make.

Awake is a pretty cool movie, the actors, some things are over done, but it's a thriller, it's supposed to keep you scared and tense, so I am willing to over look the non-existence of reality, I think this movie meant to be that way. I also just hate to say it, Jessica Alba is decent in the movie and covers herself well in her role as Sam. But the top performance of the film was without a doubt from Howard, he was so convincing and almost made you feel bad for him, well, I don't want to give too much away, you'll just have to see what I mean. But I do recommend Awake, it's a good movie, I'm impressed.

7/10

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.

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!

Awake adds new levels to the title of psychological thriller. Just when you think you know what's going on, a new twist rocks you with a shock bigger than the one before. With a charismatic cast and Jessica Alba going to new lengths as an actress, this movie is sure get your heart pumping. Hayden Christiansen gives new depth to the term anesthetic awareness. This movie grabs you and refuses to let go. This movie "does for operations, what Jaws did for the water"-Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter. Terrence Howard is slightly confusing and makes you wonder. Every thing is achieved, and this movie deserves more recognition than it is getting. I thank the writer Joby Harold for allowing me to slip into a deep sleep for almost two hours filled with frightening, disturbing, and brilliant dreams.