Awake Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Awake Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 3, 2019

Movies about amnesiacs often have a kind of fascinating built in hook that tends to tether the viewer’s experience to the focal amnesia victim’s experience, since neither is quite sure what’s going on. A number of really interesting films about amnesia have come out through the years (Mirage is one of my personal favorites), but unfortunately Awake is not one of them. While occasionally getting a few jolts of energy courtesy of some action scenes, it’s resolutely predictable virtually every step of the way as it documents the trials and tribulations of a “John Doe” (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who is shown being chased in his car down a rural highway as the film begins, a chase which ends in a crash. When “John” awakens in a hospital where he’s cared for by nurse Diana (Francesca Eastwood), he has no memory of who he is or what he’s been through. Soon enough he discovers that he's suspected of being a serial killer, and he of course sets out (with Diana in tow, again of course) to discover the truth.

If you want to know how predictable Awake is, you might ask yourself a few salient questions, starting with if the hero is played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers in his best rugged, stoic and stalwart form and is accused of being a serial killer, how likely is it that he’ll turn out to be one? Aside from that perhaps obvious underlying issue which almost deflates any mystery before it even gets started, the film is rife with logical lapses and presents at least two ostensible law enforcement officers who have issues, in an aspect that I guess was supposed to give this entry a little “grit”, but which just comes off as superfluous. The film’s ultimate villain is telegraphed from a mile away, and the whole reason behind everything is kind of patently silly to begin with.

Awake Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Awake is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinedigm with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There is some intermittent banding which can be spotted (pay attention during the opening fade in on a rural sky for one example), but otherwise this is a sharp and appealing looking transfer. The palette is kind of wintry and muted a lot of the time, but looks natural. There are a few "arty" flourishes here with askew framings and some lighting choices, both of which can affect fine detail levels.

Awake Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Awake features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that provides good surround activity with regard to ambient environmental effects, with much of the film taking place outside. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

Awake Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this disc.

Awake Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Awake admittedly probably won't put you to sleep, but it's rote and predictable virtually every step of the way. I doubt anyone in their right mind would want either of the two focal law enforcement types in this film to come to their aid anytime soon. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.