Awake is a Sci-Fi adventure directed by Mark Raso, and while Gina Rodriguez nails the emotion, that’s about the only thing enjoyable about it.
Awake Movie Plot
The Plot of Awake is based in a city where the inhabitants have lost their ability to sleep. So the protagonist goes on a journey to discover a cure for this sleeplessness in The Hub
Awake Movie Cast
- Gina Rodriguez as Jill
- Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda
- Lucius Hoyos as Noah
- Shamier Anderson as Dodge
Awake Movie Review
Awake is a moderately appetizing movie at its best. Although “first name” basis relationships are known to be amicable, this movie tells a different story. The stories and characters have been introduced only with their first name not to mention there isn’t a drop backstory in the struggles of characters. The movie almost seems like Netflix had mandated that it can’t exceed 90 minutes that led to the editors cutting out a major chunk of the footage.
The plot begins with Gina Rodriguez as Jill looking for expired drugs which she later sells while struggling to meet ends. Jill schedules a visit to meet her kids who stay at Doris’s (Grand mom of the kids) by “law”. So far, the audience knows that Jill has a troubled past but works as a guard because of Ms. Murphy a top psychiatrist. Jill takes her kids on a drive where her son seems a bit apprehensive of spending time with his mother. Suddenly they meet with an accident which almost kills her younger daughter Matilda.
Slowly they find out that electricity has been wiped out and humankind has lost the ability to sleep. Minutes later we find out that her daughter is one of the two known people who can sleep. The plot revolves around their 6-day journey to “The Hub” where they are searching for a cure for sleeplessness. As the plot progresses, humankind loses their ability to think clearly and critically. They believe that slowly everyone will die except people who can sleep.
This stint of Gina Rodriguez was a polar opposite of her performance as Jane Villanueva from Jane the Virgin (JTV). The actress has done a commendable job in JTV while showing her motherly instincts which may have helped her bag this role BUT was it correct to cast her as a mother of two?
Awake Movie: Riddled With Plot Inconsistencies
Jill a troubled young lady has a teenage son played by Lucius Hoyos and tween Matilda by Ariana Greenblatt. This seems a bit questionable. You might wonder why am I describing Jill as a troubled young lady. This is because that’s all I know! The movie fails to tell us anything about Jill, where she lives, why is she troubled, why is she selling drugs, why can she speak Spanish…. And the list goes on.
She would have looked better as an older sister of the two. The only reason why I call this a moderately appetizing movie is because of her acting. While playing her role you can feel the protagonist’s pain through her eyes. The way tears well up helps you resonate with the character in a post-apocalyptic world.
The screenplay is unconvincing. In this new world, the church comes to the conclusion of sacrificing Matilda – the only person who can sleep. A few minutes of commotion show that it is almost impossible to get Matilda out of the church but in the next few seconds the nuclear family is in a forest running from….no one.
The movie shows a gory death for a 10-year-old but somehow, she questions her brother’s sexual endeavors and later goes on to tell her mom about the same. The mom fails to acknowledge it in any way. Be it naked people staring at the sunrise in the middle of the road or a prisoner agreeing to help this family. The whole movie seems like a chaotic theme with a screenplay of a collection of different ideas. Though these ideas keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie, they were further cut down by editors rendering the movie even more senseless.
Awake Movie: Gina Rodriguez Dominates an Otherwise Senseless Flick
The movie ends with the siblings finding a cure amongst 100s of dead bodies while their mother stares into nothingness on the verge of death. Again, the next few scenes by Gina Rodriguez are commendable. Her eyes convey feelings more than the whole movie.
Did the cure work? Again, we don’t know. Usually, movies that leave you with questions is considered to be a good movie as it develops a curiosity in the audience and leaves them yearning for more. All in all, “Awake” was an aggressively fast-paced movie. This movie left us questioning the state of the Netflix approval team.
Awake Movie Critical Reception
Awake stands at 28% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus being, “A scattered and shallow disaster flick, Awake will have audiences reaching for the snooze button.” It has a Metascore of 35.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Awake is mindless and senseless for almost the entirety of it’s runtime due to it’s ridiculous plot holes or its scenes which have glaring flaws and add nothing. Gina Rodriguez is the only thing that makes this somewhat digestible, but even with that, Awake will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Awake is available on Netflix to watch.
