Awake (III) (2021) User Reviews

Ok but something missing

[oldpaperpeddlers · 5/10 · 13 June 2021]

Movie has an interesting premise but like Greenland, another "disaster" movie I watched recently, it's as if the writers imagined the film as sci-fi but hadn't a clue how to actually write a plot with science, so they threw a few crumbs in the plot to get it going then Awake turned into a road trip to nothing. The characters were unable to sleep but I didn't have any trouble....

The movie is more about a former soldier/mom/recovering drug abuser and her vulnerabilities, which is generally fine, but like Greenland, Awake falls into one complication after the other in an attempt to get to safety / find a cure which, again is generally ok, but it should have had some science along the way to make it seem like a, well, sci-fi. In the beginning of the movie just after the accident the movie seemed to actually skip an important piece of information--where the characters become aware of the inability to sleep. Seems there would have been more buzz about that moment. Instead the movie jumps ahead like we're supposed to know that the world, except for two people, can't sleep and will go crazy and die. Well, nothing interesting (sciency) really happens from there. And the ending? What ending? It is a CHEAP shot by a writer to avoid a real ending. Go ahead and watch the film if you have nothing better to do just to check out that... ending. The little girl who couldn't sleep did a fine job acting. Gina Rodriguez is good a playing a vulnerable but tough mom who does a lot of sobbing like mom's are supposed to do. She's also good at playing characters who sound like they have asthma and no inhaler.

Could have been a better movie. I wouldn't have paid money to see it (well I sorta did since I'm a Netflix sub). Was hoping for more.

Ironically sleep inducing

[Movi3DO · 4/10 · 9 June 2021]

AHA SLEEP... we meet again. You can't stop me from studying and watching this time.

A new movie dropped on Netflix. A random event happened, and for no reason no one can sleep, except a young kid. Now her mother had to choose to save her or sacrifice her for research.

Let me get the good out of the way. Gina Rodriguez was good in this movie as she played the mother who tried to protect her kid while slowly losing her mind.

It's funny how ironic this movie was: the characters cannot sleep, but the movie itself was putting me to sleep! The beginning when the event started was not bad. However, as the movie went on, it became so slow and boring. It felt like nothing happened in this movie. The director tried for some cool angles and effects, but those didn't help making the story any better.

The premise was actually interesting and unique, but the script went for a generic thriller with nothing special to offer. However, the movie was unintentionally hilarious at a point. One character saw a dropped pine cone and thought it was a grenade.

The last act was a bit chaotic with some violence because people started to lose their marbles. Even though it was slightly entertaining, it could not save this movie.

Overall, an ironically boring and sleep-inducing movie that I will forget. 4/10

Oh wait what did I just watch? Ah, gotta catch some sleep.

Standard Netflix Production

[Tweetienator · 4/10 · 9 June 2021]

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 ;)

People be dumb! - Spoliers

[thestivster · 3/10 · 10 June 2021]

The premise sounded very good, I had high hopes going in, but the plot becomes really silly, really quickly, with time never really being shown in any kind of consistent manner. Somehow this film manages to be stupidly fast paced and ridiculously slow at the same time, a feat I've never seen in a film before. It could have been explained so simply with a small subtitle day 1, day 2 etc and it would have made more sense.

People became bloodthirsty within hours, which made no sense at all. There are a lot of questions which are never answered: The scene with the prisoners, explained as "the guards came back and opened the doors" why? It agains makes no sense, a simply and more plausible answer would have been "the doors were electronically opened when the event happened. Done.

Why did the one prisoner save them? Never explained. How did he suddenly reappear at the hub with the family having no idea where the family were? Never explained.

Why was dodge seemingly able to function better than most? How did he die? Never answered.

Now onto the massive plot hole... I figured out the reason pretty much straight away, it was so obvious and yet no one in the film asked the basic question, what happened to the girl that hadn't happened to the others? A team of scientists never even asked. She died and was revived, simple.

When the girl finally figures it out, why did they take the mom to the lake to drown her? Why not just put a pillow over her head right there and use the defibrillator? I'm guessing the director wanted to use water as a kind of "baptism" but why go down a religious route at the end after showing the religious people in the film to be nutters?

Poorly written, poorly edited and poorly directed which is a real shame as the acting itself wasn't too bad.

You'll do well to STAY Awake watching this

[bluenoseneil · 2/10 · 9 June 2021]

Dull, dull, dull.

A great premise ruined by a very pedestrian script, poor acting and a non-conclusion. This film tries to be clever and fails. For such a short movie it dragged and I really wanted to like it more, but couldn't engage with the characters or the perceived peril they were in.

Avoid.

Too Dumb to Watch

[ngelhaar · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

I think it's only about 25 minutes in, they are in a church, they just found out the daughter can still sleep. Someone actually stands up and says "we have to sacrifice her". I think at this point they haven't slept for...a day? Utter nonsense and terrible writing. I turned it off and went to the trusty internet to read reviews. Seems like a made a good decision. Some great actors in this movie, can we get decent writers and a good director? Barry Pepper was in Saving Private Ryan for F's sake. Netflix is definitely going to for quantity over quality model and it's getting old.

This is NOT as bad as everyone keeps saying.

[saudaminikulkarni · 7/10 · 9 June 2021]

This is a standard Netflix apocalyptic production . No one can sleep and slowly people start to lose their mind . A mother and her 2 children are travelling to a military run "hub" that claims to be working towards a "cure" and they think they can help them since the little girl can sleep. The ending is a little predictable to anyone who's been paying attention, but I thought it was enjoyable to watch. Stop expecting an intricately woven intelligent thriller everytime and just watch the movie for fun.

The inevitable annoying main charcaters

[Casino-Royale · 1/10 · 9 June 2021]

Always it seems in these types of films, there's the irritating angsty teenager, the smart little kid who holds the secret and the incredibly annoying Mom who acts as though she's going to save the world single handed.

And of course it's American and therefore they just start shooting each other for no reason whatsoever right from the get go.

I love this genre but when will we ever get decent writers and actors again?

solution too obvious

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 12 June 2021]

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.

Not worth your time

[genehenson · 2/10 · 9 June 2021]

I was going to write a full review of this, but it's not worth my time to write it or your time to read it.

Do yourself a favor and watch anything else.

A refreshingly non-Hollywoodish realistic-feel sort-of-sci-fi.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 10 June 2021]

Wow the the critics went real hard on this one. I was fully engaged, and in a state of anxiety and suspense from start to finish.

As a hardcore sci-fi fan, this isn't one of those Hollywood-styled futuristic aliens and spaceships take over the world type film. But instead, something more current and relatable (solar flares) and down to earth. When you hear about a film that includes world-wide unexplained insomniacs, you assume just another zombie movie. I'm really grateful that wasn't the case here, as I'm tired of zombie movies - unless they are funny and include Woody Harrelson in them. In fact, I felt the story's concept was brilliant and well executed.

The 96 min runtime was just right and paced perfectly. This film was shot really well, with great cinematography, and a very fitting and decent score. Mad props to the director and writers - all fairly newb filmmakers, for creating non-stop anxiety and suspense right from the get go. Casting and performances were on point, with Rodriguez at her best, playing a mother trying to teach her daughter fast-tracked end-of-the-world survival skills, but stealing the show was the young Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda, who was outstanding.

Many didn't like the ending, which I couldn't understand why, because I thought it ended perfectly, with the option left open for a part two. Fingers crossed! It's well deserved 8/10 from me.

Really Enjoyed It

[BlueMosaics · 7/10 · 12 June 2021]

This was a good story and was definitely worth my time. I love apocalyptic, sci-fi stories, so I watched this as soon as it came out. I was on the edge of my seat through most of it. It's true that there's a weird religious part in the film, but it was brief and insignificant. Seriously, it's not worth mentioning. The person who complained about it was probably hoping for another Hollywood flash and bang film. I also enjoyed the film because I'm a mother and could relate to how the main character protected her children.

I was disappointed that the movie was kind of short, and there could have been more character development for some of the actors. The kids in the film were great, and so was the leading lady. If you're expecting an earth-shaking movie, then this is probably not for you. If you're hoping to just catch a good movie, then I suggest you give this a try.

Average movie, poor ending.

[krissdelhi · 5/10 · 9 June 2021]

Movie couldn't hold my interest much but I finished it hoping for a good climax, but it ended in disappointment.

That was absolutely dreadful

[nathanmanson · 2/10 · 9 June 2021]

I'm normally quite a fan of Netflix films but this is one of the worst ones I've seen and I've watched open house. Whoever was in charge of doing the trailer did a really good job because they made the film look really good, I feel snaked. There was literally no explanation given to why everything was happening. You can just have something like that happen and give no reason for why it was happening. What the hell was the ending? I'm assuming by the noise at the end she woke up, so what next? You can't just end the film there, what did they do from that point on? That was a cop out ending. I genuinely wouldn't waste my time with this.

Awake will make you fall asleep

[kreminal · 9 June 2021]

"Awake" is pure chaos..There was not a single scene that caught my attention. Watch something else instead.

Interesting idea, shakey execution

[masterbadger · 5/10 · 15 June 2021]

A great concept wasted. The premise is simple, some cosmic event happens, and no one can sleep anymore. Well almost no one. Along with the unraveling of humanity we have the story of an estranged mother trying to save her children, one of whom is able to sleep. The film is competently shot and I found most of the performances adequate. Gina Rodriquez is solid enough, and I was happy to see Jennifer Jason Leigh, who unfortunately only has a minor role.

The film really falls apart on the screenplay level. Mainly because there is almost no consistency in the scenario. Our main character already started 12-24 hours less sleep than most people, and she frankly never really seems to that much acuity. I mention this because there is almost no consistency with how people fall apart. One day without sleep and a law enforcement officer is willing to execute someone, and people are considering sacrificing a child. It just does not parse.

While some reviewers found the film boring, I did not. I thought the scenario was interesting enough to see it through. When we are talking about consistency this really comes to a head at the end. We spend all of this time watching society and people unravel, it is all fairly dark. Have no worries though, NONE of our protagonists die, but even better they basically fall upon a solution that should have been discovered when the first person somewhere was revived.

A missed opportunity sadly. If the idea of a world where no can sleep intrigues you, but you want a scifi/horror film with a happy ending, well this is the film for you.

Wasted opportunity

[hcb-80 · 3/10 · 13 June 2021]

My guess is the pitch that made Netflix give the greenlight was convincing. But...

Likeability of protagonists: close to zero.

Pacing of story: not working

Gory scenes: I feel nothing.

I could go on, but let's just say it doesn't work.

To the filmmakers: if you get the greenlight, don't screw it up like this.

Magnificently Creative Concept fails to create the magic

[pawanpunjabithewriter · 7/10 · 9 June 2021]

The concept was magnificently structured and was something new to watch out. It started off incredibly well increasing my expectations to another level, however, failed to deliver. The Gina-Rodriguez centric film, in which she, no doubt, did a wonderful job, doesn't quite get the edge in the middle. It lacks the superior intensity in the second half. It could have easily been one of the best movies of 2021, although isn't a complete mess, however, doesn't quite amuse. It is without a doubt entertaining and the captivating genre keeps you interesting enough. Average, recommended for some.

Pure garbage

[Moviedog26 · 1/10 · 9 June 2021]

I couldn't take more than 15 minutes watching. Just pure garbage. I think it took 2 hours to write this script after reading some recent news. Draw your own conclusions.

Cool Film

[destiny_west · 7/10 · 20 March 2023]

I saw Awake when it first came out on Netflix but just watched it again to review it for here.

I remembered liking it the first time. I loved the story idea. Not being able to sleep. I've had a severe case of insomnia for 6 weeks and was in out of ER because of it. I know how much I was in despair, so the idea of this film creeps the hell out of me.

The film has a certain amount of predictability to it, but that is what is to be expected.

Gina Rodriguez as Jill is good. I was a huge fan of Gina's and loved her in Jane the Virgin until it became so woke and focused on politics that I stopped watching it.

Regardless, if you like films like Bird Box, The Silence, even War of the Worlds or I am Legend, you should like Awake. The acting is all good.

Yes there are definitely flaws, but its a movie.

It's enjoyable.

A decent apocalyptic movie

[lauramatic · 10/10 · 11 June 2021]

Not sure where all the hate for it is coming from. I thought it was an original idea, the acting was good and the movie didn't drag on just for the sake of it. The backstories were hinted at, but not overdeveloped, leaving a lot up to the viewers' interpretation. I also enjoyed the unusual shots used in certain scenes.

Overall an entertaining and enjoyable watch.

I thought it was creative!

[bethjazotte-60931 · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

Me surpreendeu esse filme novo no Netflix. Roteiro bem bacana e criativo. Não dá pra adivinhar o que vai acontecer (o que é ótimo e rare em suspenses hoje em dia), mas aviso que é bastante violento. This new movie on Netflix surprised me. Very cool and creative script. I can't guess what's going to happen (which is great and rare in suspense these days), but I warn you that it's quite violent. #movieslover #netflix.

Bad !

[pdbodyshop · 1/10 · 9 June 2021]

This movie is bad. I mean really bad. Started off fairly well but from the first few minutes it spiraled downward pretty quickly. IMO it's definitely not worth the watch.

Story of people who completely lost it just because they couldn't sleep for a few days and their car broke

[dime-store-poet0 · 3/10 · 9 June 2021]

As a person who has been suffering sleep deprivation since childhood I can asssure you, it doesn't happen like that. You don't shoot people or try to sacrifice kids out of a sudden. There are so many questions to ask.

1) How can that white grandma be a mother of that latina? And what happened to her?

2) What was the point of the weirdo priest?

3) What happened to Dodger?

4) What is the reason behind all that? We just heard a theory from the crazy doctor, that's it.

5) Do you need to die and come back to life in order to get back the ability of sleep?

There are more I'm really sleepy right now so I'll keep it short.

Lots of potential that ended up in mediocrity...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 26 July 2021]

Sure, "Awake" was watchable, but the movie was just one of those movie that you watch once, because it is adequately entertaining, but then you forget about the movie and never return to it again.

And that is because there were just way too many things in the movie that made so little sense. I especially found it ludicrous that society would break out in anarchy after such a short time. Sure, I get that staying awake for prolonged periods of time starts to affect the brain, but come on, for people to start looting, killing each other and such, nah, that was just a bit too far fetched.

The storyline in "Awake" definitely had some interesting enough aspects. But ultimately, then writers Joseph Raso, Mark Raso and Gregory Poirier just managed to come up with a mediocre storyline.

I will say that the acting performances put on in "Awake" were fair, and while I am not overly familiar with actress Gina Rodriguez, she actually carried the movie quite well with her performance.

I had expected a bit more from director Mark Raso with this 2021 movie. Sure, it made for an adequate enough watch, but it just wasn't a wow-moment.

My rating of "Awake" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.