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.

Awake Movie Review Contains Spoilers

The premise behind the story for Awake 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 Awake movie, a baddie explains that if your heart is still beating, you will still be awake.

While Awake 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 Forever

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.

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

Quote from Awake, now streaming on Netflix

A Lot of People Hate the Movie Awake

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.

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)

Awake 2021 is rated

3.5 Did anyone try eating turkey? out of 5

Follow Mother of Movies

• Facebook

Awake Movie Netflix, Where to Watch Near You

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

Awake Now streaming on:

• Netflix Movies to Watch: Nobody Sleeps in the Woods / The Call
• Directed by: Mark Raso
• Awake 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.

Awake 2021 Review, No Sleep For the Wicked - Mother of Movies

Director: Justin Gallaher, Sam Roseme

Date Created: 2023-05-19 21:18

Editor's Rating:
3.5

Pros

• Apocalypse setting without zombies or aliens
• Great cast in Awake

Cons

• Style of substance in some areas that cause plausibility issues