Minnesota State University Reporter

Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Movies

Jessica Alba (right) and Hayden Christensen star in the horror film "Awake." Christensen plays a patient who discovers his doctors are out to murder him.

The film "Awake" by first-time director and writer Joby Harold will have you leaving the movie theater disappointed and wanting more.

"Awake" is the story of a man, Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen), who suffers "anesthetic awareness" and finds himself awake but paralyzed during open-heart surgery. The premise of the story is enough to make anyone squirm, and though the movie does offer squeamish moments, the thrill is not enough to make up for the ticket price.

Christensen is supported by an all-star cast: Jessica Alba plays Sam Lockwood, Christensen's fiancée; Terrence Howard plays Dr. Jack Harper, Christensen's doctor and friend; and Lena Olin plays Lilith Beresford, Christensen's mother. The rest of the cast does a good job of supporting Christensen, and they do add to the movie, but with a weak script, there is only so much they can do.

"Awake" does provide a few good scares. There is one scene when the lights are dimming for Beresford, and that scene is eerie and chilling, leaving you holding your breath in suspense. Along with some gruesome open-heart surgery that will make you cringe and pull your knees into your chest for comfort, the movie does offer chills, but given the premise, it should've offered so much more.

The concept of "Awake" is scary, because as the tagline says, one in 700 people wake up during surgery. The thought of being awake for a procedure, feeling everything and hearing the doctor's conversations without being able to communicate your pain is terrifying. It's enough to want to stop people from going to the doctors. Knowing this, "Awake" has already limited its audience.

Something "Awake" tries to do is add a conspiracy between the doctors. Dr. Harper is supposed to be Beresford's friend, and the trailer leads us to think that he is planning the murder of his friend, while all along Berseford can hear the conversation.

I liked the direction the movie tried to go with this plot. It isn't enough to just be the one person out of 700 who can feel the procedure, but to hear a your doctor conspiring your death is terrifying. The downside is that it took nearly 45 minutes of the 90-minute movie to develop. If the writers had paced it better viewers would have been more involved, but because the film took so long to develop, it became predictable.

There were a couple things I did not see coming, but from the bland dialogue, I could easily say, "Oh, this is going to happen," and sure enough, five minutes later, it does.

I am disappointed by "Awake," perhaps because I had such high expectations for it. It could have been brilliant. It could have been the best thriller to end the year with. "Awake" turned out to be a mediocre movie with so much potential.

If you like Christensen, Alba or Howard, the movie is worth your money, as they deliver good performances. If you're looking for a good script with good direction and a good premise, "Awake" is not the film to see.

THE GRADE: C+
"Awake" has a few scares, but otherwise, this film will put you to sleep.


Jaime Killion is a Reporter staff writer

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