“Awake” is definitely not a snore
There’s nothing better than going into a movie knowing nothing about it (Warning: Do not even look at the movie poster. It gives away such an important plot device that the person who made the poster should be out of work). That’s right, I’m talking about “Awake.” Yes it’s that movie that has a dismal 17 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com. But don’t believe that percentage. Just go and see this movie.
“Awake” stars Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”) as Clay, a rich kid who has taken over his father’s company after his somewhat controversial demise. Clay has a heart problem and needs a transplant. He has a best friend, Dr. Harper (Terrence Howard, “Crash”) who is the only person he trusts to perform the transplant surgery. Clay is also head-over-heels in love with a person he shouldn’t be, named Sam (Jessica Alba, “Fantastic Four”). Sam isn’t in Clay’s tax bracket, and his mother (Lena Olin, “Alias”) would never approve of them getting married.
Clay is stuck in the world of ‘old money’ and high society. He would desperately give up everything just to be with his girlfriend Sam, who he’s been hiding from his mother. When the time comes for Clay to get his transplant surgery, he insists that Harper does it, which is against the wishes of his mother. She has picked out a surgeon of her own, a man who has actually “had his hands inside of presidents.” His mother is overprotective, and Clay, even though he loves his mother, goes against her wishes and has his friend perform the surgery.
After the surgery starts, a series of events unfold at break-neck pace which I will not begin to describe here because it would spoil the fun. The only thing anyone who goes to see this movie needs to know is Clay experiences a phenomenon known as anesthesia awareness in which a person is paralyzed by the anesthesia but can hear and feel everything going on. Imagine being able to feel a bone saw cut open your rib cage.
Christensen is fantastic as Clay, Alba is surprisingly not awful, and Howard brings another great performance to the screen, which he does in every movie he’s in.
“Awake” is the most suspenseful show I’ve seen in a long time. It’s only 78 minutes long, and every single one of those minutes is filled with suspense. “Awake” is a well-crafted thriller which will miss the masses of America. But a few will go and see it, and hopefully, like me, they’ll love it.
Grade: B+
-aaron.peck@aggiemail.usu.edu