Directed by:
Joby HaroldScreenplay:
Joby HaroldCinematography:
Russell CarpenterCast:
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 (8)
I have read a few comments here and they all mostly agree on the fact that the topic of the movie was not bad at all. If only it was made by someone with little more experience who can turn a good topic into a great thriller. The acting was ok but I kind of missed a bit more of the drama. The end is way over the top, but the story was made to shock and it actually succeeded in doing so. Although I still can’t shake off the feeling that this was just an average job.
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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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On the one hand, Awake is quite a cleverly constructed thriller with fine elements and an unforgettable atmosphere, but on the other hand, there are too many missteps, nonsense and bullshit to make it a good film (people going to the operating theatre as they please, some far-fetched twists and turns, unrealistic behaviour of the characters, etc.). I have quite mixed feelings with the result, some passages were very good, but as a whole it is a kind inconsistent and in the end it is "only" average and doesn't go anywhere higher. And yet the idea is one of the most original we could wish for...
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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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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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