Awake 2021 Review, No Sleep For the Wicked

The “Awake” cast begins with Gina Rodriguez as an ex-soldier with a previous drug history. Billed as a Netflix Original science-fiction thriller movie, that despite its shortcomings is a decent film to watch. If you like narratives that delve into the beginning of an apocalyptic-type world, ‘Awake’ is that type of story. Simply going through the motions as a mother trying to prove she can be trusted once again to raise her children, Jill picks them up for visitation. In a sudden and catastrophic movement, Jill’s car loses power, and all hell breaks loose.

This Movie Review Contains Spoilers

Awake (2021) is a science fiction thriller on Netflix that imagines a world where sleep itself becomes extinct. Combining post-apocalyptic chaos with religious extremism, government control, and maternal instinct, the film explores what happens when rest, the most human necessity, vanishes overnight. While reviews are mixed, the title stands out with its fresh concept and tense, character-driven stakes. Viewers who enjoyed Bird Box, The Happening, or Double Blind will likely be intrigued by the spiritual and scientific tug-of-war at the heart of this slow-burn survival story.

The premise behind the story is that some event has happened, forcing everything electrical to stop. This includes humans. All clocks are out of whack, and suddenly the world cannot sleep. Coma patients wake up, too. In addition, in one particularly graphic part of the movie, a baddie explains that if your heart is still beating, you will still be awake.

While this thriller Netflix film never truly gets gritty or dirty enough to raise the hairs on your arms, there is enough meat to the basic premise to be interesting. I can’t think of another film that uses the whole world’s inability to sleep as the repercussions of an apocalyptic event. If you can, leave a comment on the Facebook page.

Jesus Will Save Us From Being Awake

Jill ends up seeing the need to escape when she discovers her daughter, Matilda, is one of only two known cases of people who can sleep. Of course, the army comes in and wants to do studies on them. This collective has built a hub at a secret location and hopes to find a cure. They acquire the first sleeper easily, and now they want Matilda to come too. Jill seems to have been part of similar studies while in the army and wants none of that for her child. Fortunately, they were unable to take her straight away. Matilda is at church with her grandmother.

In an almost laughter-inducing scene in the church, Matilda is almost sacrificed to Jesus simply because the church-goers think the idea seems reasonable. Whether this is simply a result of what happened to your ability to utilize critical thinking, watching grown adults clamber at Matilda to ask her when she will also make them sleep seemed like a bit of a reach so early on.

Jill escapes from the church with her son, Noah, and Matilda when one of the church flocks brandishes a gun. Mass hysteria breaks out. The mob begins shooting people who disagree with putting Matilda permanently to sleep for the greater good.

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We should sacrifice her. God sacrificed Jesus, his only son to save us.”

Quote from Awake, now streaming on Netflix

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A Lot of People Hated the Movie

So far, reviews on popular movie databases have been extremely harsh. Whether or not you agree, Mother of Movies thought this apocalyptic-themed movie was a nice change from the usual route of aliens and zombies. It felt to me to have a similar narrative to The Happening. Where that film uses mass suicide as the airborne pathogen, Awake slows it down and bends people until they break.

The performances are great thanks to a stellar Awake movie cast. I think these types of roles suit Rodriguez down to a tee. Lucius Hoyos’s Noah was wonderfully subdued. Ariana Greenblatt’s Matilda wasn’t annoying, which is always the fear with a large child-driven part.

Finally, the ending of Awake is the weakest part of the movie. While I love the idea for the solution, there’s no way a teenager and a small child got her in and out of the water by themselves. Sure, it’s dramatic and aesthetically pleasing, but there are far easier ways to kill people than drowning them.

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For more movies where sleep is the main theme of the narrative watch these titles next: Sleepless Beauty, Watch the trailer | Door Lock Korean Remake Horror | Deliverance (Netflix horror) | or Double Blind (Indie Horror)

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Awake 2021 is rated

3.5 Did anyone try eating turkey? out of 5

What is Awake (2021) about?

Awake is a Netflix sci-fi thriller where a global event causes everyone on Earth to lose the ability to sleep. As society collapses, a mother fights to protect her daughter — one of the only people left who can still sleep.

Is Awake based on a true story?

No, Awake is a fictional story. However, it explores real psychological and biological effects of sleep deprivation in an apocalyptic setting.

Is Awake (2021) scary?

Awake leans more toward psychological thriller than horror. It contains some violence and religious hysteria, but it’s not a traditional scary movie.

Who stars in Awake?

The film stars Gina Rodriguez as Jill, with Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda and Lucius Hoyos as Noah. It is directed by Mark Raso.

What happens at the end of Awake?

The ending involves a dramatic underwater sequence intended to reset the brain’s ability to sleep. While emotional, the final scene sparked criticism for its lack of realism.

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Where to Watch Near You

Check out the handy link below for where to watch in your region.

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• Netflix Movies to Watch: Nobody Sleeps in the Woods / The Call
• Directed by: Mark Raso
• Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos, Shamier Anderson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Francis Fisher.
• Written by: Mark Raso and Joseph Raso, with the story by Gregory Poirier
• Produced by Entertainment One and Netflix / Distributed by Netflix.

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