Some people compare Awake with Bird Box (S. Bullock) but whereas I was highly entertained and thrilled by the latter one (my rate: 7),I watched Awake rather drowned in an ocean of indifference. Awake simply lacks of thrill and action and the story told unfolds very slowly and there are just too many scenes and dialogues that are all cliche in. In this sense Awake reminds me a lot of Greenland (2020, Gerard Butler),which also tells us a story that works more or less on auto-pilot: scenes after scenes we watched million times before. In short: the script is (like in so many movies these days) the weakest link (the ending is not only a cheap twist but a joke too),and whereas movies like Bird Box or The Road are top contributions to the genre of post-apocalyptic movies, Awake sails close on the edge of boredom.
Last note: the writer and director should have done some experiments with sleep deprivation: I managed 10 days (back then in my younger years) without the necessity of a visit of a mental institute and/or the notion to run havoc or beat up my fellow humans ;)
Awake
2021
Action / Adventure / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Awake
2021
Action / Adventure / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Keywords: apocalypsesleep deprivation
Plot summary
With humankind unable to sleep and think clearly, growing increasingly irrational and violent after an unprecedented global phenomenon that wiped out all electronics, Jill, a former U.S. Army medic and widowed mother-of-two, finds herself struggling to keep her kids safe. Now, as scientists all over the world seem to fight a losing battle, the mysterious, worldwide plague of insomnia threatens to eradicate the entire human species, and undoubtedly, this is the end of the world as we know it. However, what if Jill's ten-year-old daughter, Matilda, holds the key to a cure? Can sleep-deprived Jill protect her children when everyone has only a few days to live?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 2160p.WEBMovie Reviews
Standard Netflix Production
solution too obvious
Jill (Gina Rodriguez) steals expired drugs from work. She's on probation for drugs and was forced to surrender custody of her two children to her mother. It's a struggle to stay on the straight and narrow. Something happens and all the electronics in the world are rendered inoperative. Then something worst happens. Nobody can sleep. Dr. Murphy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) leads a military operation to find a cure.
Anybody remember The Quiet Earth (1985). The two premises have a lot of similarities. The problem with this movie is that the solution is obvious right from the start. The story needs to hide that. It can't show its hand. It makes Jill look stupid to not realize something so obvious. The other problem is having annoying stupid kids. It's a minor problem which exists a lot of times and I'm willing to overlook it. I can't overlook the fact that nobody would be stupid enough to not see what makes Matilda different. In the end, I'm a sucker for this type of high concept sci-fi. It could done better. I wish the kids are less annoying especially the boy. I do like Jill trying to teach Matilda how to survive. It's a good sci-fi writing exercise but it does need some minor tweaks.
Very generic
Another boringly predictable apocalypse movie. Plays it safe and generic throughout without a single surprise in the whole darn thing. Very similar to previous films like GREENLAND, BIRDBOX et al but even more passive than those. Unlikeable protagonists it's very tough to care about or feel for and an obvious MacGuffin in the form of a young immune girl who must be protected at all costs. Lots of effort, expanse and energy have gone into the production of this one, but it all adds up to so little that you wonder why they bothered...