Directed by:
Joby HaroldScreenplay:
Joby HaroldCinematography:
Russell CarpenterComposer:
Graeme RevellCast:
Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher McDonald, Sam Robards, Arliss Howard, Fisher Stevens, Georgina Chapman (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
A real-life medical phenomenon forms the basis of this gripping psychological thriller about a young man who is paralyzed on an operating table by anesthesia but totally conscious and able to feel everything his surgeon is doing. (Showtime)
Videos (2)
Reviews (7)
If we were to operate on the basis of FilmBooster genre labels, this movie would be more of a romance/drama/mystery/thriller. Whereas for the first half hour it sticks only to the first two boxes. Then comes mystery, and not long after that we have thriller. This development is Awake's greatest domain, because thanks to it we find ourselves several times running out of ideas on how the plot could continue and taking it practically from scratch. Personally, I was very pleasantly surprised by the two plot shifts, to the point where I almost forgot who was playing the main role, a fact that had worried me quite a bit at the beginning of the film. High praise indeed for the script.
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A huge surprise that I'll probably be chewing on for a while. I love it when a movie gets me like this and then I have to show it to everyone around me. This will be one of those that everyone around me will have to watch with me. What I like about the movie are the few unexpected twists and the constant intrigue. At the end I would have liked some kind of encounter between Clayton and the traitors. Jessica Alba's performance is good, Hayden Christensen surprisingly even better. A nice thriller. 4.6 stars.
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A good premise buried by a run-of-the-mill directorial approach and a shabby script that delivers every twist a moment after it can be predicted. The way it squanders its potential pissed me off, really. And on top of that, and let’s be honest, the actors aren’t that great, so, instead of living characters, you only get chess pieces that the screenwriter moves according to a previously drawn plan (which, as I’ve already mentioned, is not that hard to predict). As a result, Awake is a modern sterile thriller without a hint of atmosphere that at times shows great potential. The creativity began and ended on one point: the initial premise. Had it been longer, the rating would be lower.
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A film shot in a captivating way, with intimacy and impassioned romance that perfectly harmonize with an excellently crafted screenplay and an original idea that I may not have seen in the world of cinema before. For the first time in her life, Jessica Alba is not just an ornament, and Hayden Christensen is not a laughing stock. This fact alone is so rare that it is impossible to watch the film without enthusiasm. Add excellent supporting roles and a minute-by-minute brutal and uncompromising attack on emotions, and both Hayden and the viewer cannot help but be amazed at how everything eventually turns out. The final transformation is hardly believable, but conceptually entirely acceptable. An original and disarming film, in an intimate and heartfelt way.
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The subject is not bad at all, as it's based on a truly original idea, but in my opinion, it is too directed and played for effect. The same can be said about the screenplay. For the film to work in my eyes, it would have to abandon the traditional Hollywood thriller framework and have a much higher-quality cast. Like this, it is a stylish but pretentious game, where logic suffers in some moments. Overall impression: 45%.
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