An ironic name for something that could send you to sleep! (Awake (DVD))

Member Name: Great_reviewer07

Product:	Awake (DVD)
Date:	31/05/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping in parts

Disadvantages: Slow to get going

Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a billionaire heir and is very much in love with his fiancé of one year Sam (Jessica Alba), however Clay is reluctant to tell his controlling Mother Lilith and this is because Sam is Lilith's personal assistant and Clay's Mother will look down on working class Sam. Clay has a rare heart condition which requires a transplant, his Mother has a world-renowned surgeon who is willing to perform the operation but Clay is set on letting his friend and experienced surgeon Jack (Terrence Howard) perform the procedure.

Clay gets the call he's been waiting for informing him that a new heart is ready for him on the night that he secretly marries Sam. His Mother is waiting at the hospital for him and once again tries to pressure Clay into letting her choice of surgeon perform the operation but again Clay refuses. When Clay goes into the operation he is well informed that he has only a 50% chance of surviving and if he does survive then there's a 50% chance that he'll be dead in 10 years time. Clay agrees and is put to sleep, or so he thought. Infact Clay doesn't fall completely asleep and although his body is paralysed he can still hear and feel everything that's going on around him. Jack has no idea that Clay is still conscious therefore goes ahead with the operation but for Clay the worst is yet to come. When everybody thinks Clay's asleep they begin talking and Clay realises that his 50% chance of survival has just shrunk dramatically...

I remember seeing this film advertised at the cinema and I had planned to see it but never found the time, since then the film sort of slipped to the back of my mind so when I saw that this film was appearing on Sky Movies Premiere last night it reignited my inclination to see it so I recorded it and watched it this morning.

The film actually only lasts around 80 minutes which is very short especially for a thriller, but instead of being put off it actually made me more intrigued as I thought it would be a fast paced film in order to fit everything into such a short space of time.

Unfortunately the film is very slow, it doesn't really get going for about 30 minutes which only gives 50 minutes for the film to get going and come to a conclusion which I didn't really think was enough time. Luckily 80 minutes was more than enough for this film and believe me that isn't a compliment. The film is extremely slow to get going and I did consider turning it off a couple of times, however I'm a big fan of thrillers and on the premise that this was going to get better I decided to stick around to see how it goes.

I feel that the first 20 minutes could have been cut into about 10 minutes, I think as this was such a short film already it had to be padded out to make it as long as possible it's just a shame that they couldn't have made the action last longer.

If you've seen the film then I'm sure you'll agree that the main story is very clever and inventive and it was actually quite engrossing how it unravels in front of your eyes. The middle part of the film when the operation begins is very well done and I was extremely impressed with how it all plays out. While on the operating table Clay climbs out of his body to retrace his steps in order to figure out what is happening and ultimately save his own life. I like how all this was shown on screen and it manages to get the audience behind Clay because you're along for the journey with him. The action parts of the film are very gripping and I think all in all this is infact a very clever thriller however the padding just drags it down and this has tainted my impression of this film somewhat.

There are numerous twists in the film which manage to keep the viewer hooked and the film does become very tense at times, the twist involving Clay's Mother I thought was very ingenious and as it's quite near the end it tops the film off nicely. I like the way the twists in the film are carried out, some of them are revealed to the audience at the same time as they are to the character in question however some are revealed right at the end which leads you to believe that you know anything and there's nothing more to discover.

I personally don't think the acting was anything to shout about; Jessica Alba was just hired for a bit of eye candy for the men but to give her credit she did play her part well considering she had one of the pivotal roles. Hayden Christensen gave a pretty dead performance which is much like his performance in Jumper where there isn't too much to his character and the film mainly relies on the story instead of the acting. I feel the only person who really stood out for me was Terrence Howard, I've seen him in quite a few films and I think he's quite an underrated actor. He did really well in his role and portrayed emotion in exactly the way that was required.

Overall I would say that Awake is worth a watch however it's only something you could watch once. It has a good story on paper and although part of this is portrayed well the first part is a letdown as it is dragged out for way too long. The acting is mediocre much like the film and the only thing that I was very pleased about was that this film only lasts around 80 minutes!

The DVD is currently available from play.com for £5 although I wouldn't recommend buying it, the film is currently showing on Sky Movies for free so I would suggest checking on there or renting it as this is probably a film that you would only want to watch once, maybe twice at a stretch.

The special features include:
Audio Commentary With Writer / Director Joby Harold
'Under The Knife And Behind The Camera' - The Making Of Awake
Storyboard To feature Film Comparison
Bloopers
7 Deleted Scenes: With Additional Commentary

Summary: A good enough thriller but nothing special.