This Awake Netflix Review contains minor spoilers.
“Do you struggle to get a full night’s sleep? If so, you need Awake! It is sure to tranquillise even the worst insomniacs!”
In all seriousness, Netflix and Mark Raso’s Awake is a boring and tiring movie. Disappointingly, it does its interesting concept what could be described as justice. It’s also generic and emotionally disengaging. This is Netflix trying to replicate the success of Bird Box. And it’s painfully obvious.
Awake‘s premise is pretty simple. Basically, one day all electronics and cars stop working. On top of that, people become unable to sleep. Except, of course, for one little girl who holds the key to “a cure”.
The trouble with post-apocalyptic films is that most things have been done before. And a strong concept with an equally robust plot and performances is needed to help a new movie stand out. Rather than zombies or plagues, stories that feature some kind of sensory/bodily function deprivation are en vogue right now. And while A Quiet Place and Bird Box did a good job of it, Awake does not. It’s not only disappointing but often downright baffling, too.
Awake Netflix Review – Characters
Awake stars Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin, Annihilation) as Jill. While not perfect, her performance is Awake‘s principal strength. Jill is an ex-army medic turned recovering drug addict and security guard. She also has two kids, Noah (Lucius Hoyos), a generic moody teen, and Matilda (Ariana Greenblatt), the “child cure” trope.
Jill also steals expired drugs from the university campus she works at to sell for cash. It’s an odd character trait. And why she does it is never made entirely clear. Either way, it’s hard to be sympathetic for a person who participates in something that’s devastating towns across America.
As mentioned, both Matilda and Noah are entirely cookie cutter. But it doesn’t stop there. Their father is (predictably) dead, something that is NEVER elaborated on. And there’s also Doris (Frances Fisher), their disapproving paternal grandmother. What’s more, Awake crams in all the generic army, scientist and post-apocalyptic baddies imaginable. It’s honestly like Mark Raso had a checklist of character tropes to include.
Awake Netflix Review – Plot
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Awake is how it deals with its plot. It’s a concept and nothing more. The pace at which things progress is also staggering. Literally one night passes where people can’t sleep and Brian (who might as well be called Professor Exposition) laments to Jill that nobody will EVER sleep again and that everyone will slowly go insane and die. How exactly this has been established so quickly is never explained and it’s incredibly jarring.
So much about Awake is underdeveloped and rushed. There’s an interesting scene at a church congregation early on that hints at a religious undertone to the apocalypse that is never furthered. Satellites fall from orbit to no consequence. Jill is at first dead set against Noah’s idea of taking Matilda to “The Hub” to help find a cure. Then, suddenly, she isn’t. Why exactly, I’m not sure. But it certainly makes for frustrating viewing.
Plot Holes
Awake has plot holes everywhere, too. So much goes unexplained and there seems to be no concrete facts about the film’s world. Simple examples include the army having vehicles that work and, later, electricity when no one else does. These could be forgiven, but it extends to Awake‘s ending, too. It’s dumb, bleak and entirely nonsensical. In the context of a film where the prognosis of a complete loss of sleep and certain death was ascertained so quickly, it’s perplexing how this “cure” went entirely undiscovered.
Awake Netflix Review – Cinematography and Visuals
Awake is a gory thriller. For the most part, the extreme violence works. And it looks pretty good, too. It helps create a suitably gritty tone that permeates the whole film. That said, it does feel like a trade-off for stronger characters and a cohesive plot. It’s a shame because by itself it’s superficial (and at time gratuitous) rather than complimentary.
Visually, Awake looks OK. There’s some nice cinematography and visual flare from cinematographer Alan Poon but it is often let down by blatant green screen and cheap looking sets. It’s a shame because the camera work is one of Awake‘s few positives.
Verdict
Mark Raso – whose other movies you’re unlikely to have seen – does little with Awake to make me interested in seeing more of his films. While it has a promising concept, it ultimately fails to deliver and will leave most disappointed. There are some truly special films in the post-apocalyptic genre and many do it much better than Awake. From plot holes to generic characters to unconvincing performances, there’s more than one reason you shouldn’t waste your time on it.
Overall Rating: 3/10
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