Awake – Special Edition
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 103 May 2008
(2 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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Is there a doctor in the house?
The Lowdown: Clay Beresford suffers “anaesthetic awareness” and finds himself awake and aware, but paralysed, during heart surgery. During the resultant out-of-body experience, Clay manages to uncover a murder plot against him, which sees surgeon Dr Harper inject his heart with a chemical that will cause rejection upon transplant…
Review: After being withheld from American reviewers before its cinematic release, Awake was torn apart by the handful of bloodthirsty critics who did manage to check it out. Under the circumstances, maybe such a degree of critical savagery is to be expected. However, Awake isn’t quite as risible as some people have made out. Not that it’s a masterpiece – any film starring Hayden Christensen would struggle to measure up to that tag! In fairness, Christensen acquits himself fairly well – better than an uninspired Jessica Alba, it has to be said! The premise (inspired by a rare, real life phenomenon) is certainly attention grabbing, but it’s what novice director Joby Harold does with it that causes concern. Older readers may recall the ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ episode ‘Breakdown’, which handled a similar idea with much more aplomb. If ever a movie needed emergency surgery, that movie is Awake.
How a film with such a brisk runtime can seem rambling and unfocused is anyone’s guess, but there are enough interesting moments to make Awake worth checking out. Whilst you may see some of the twists from a mile off, there are enough unexpected plot lurches to keep you guessing. It’s doubtful that you would want to stump up for an import at this stage, but when the disc arrives on these shores it is worth checking out, if only to see how off-kilter it is. All in all, a respectable debut movie that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Extras include audio commentary, deleted scenes and brisk featurettes.
FILM: 5 EXTRAS: 5
DVD Info:
US Certificate: R
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Lena Olin, Terrence Howard
Directed By: Joby Harold, 2007
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 4:3 Fullscreen, 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 84mins
Price: £16.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary With Director Joby Harold
‘Behind The Scenes’ Featurette
Storyboard-To-Film Comparison
