Awake

*1/2

Awake's trailer had me believing something this movie is not. It had me believing that the film was about what would happen if a patient was still mentally awake during a heart transplant and could still feel and see the pain the body goes through during the process. In fact, the film is about a young executive who may be murdered by love ones in his life. The actual anesthesia part of the film lasts for about four minutes of the film. That's not the real problem with Awake. The film just sucks.

Jessica Alba is up to her usual tricks by looking pretty and starring into the camera while Hayden Christiansen continues his wooden acting techniques. Terrence Howard is way too good of an actor to be in this film. But hey, everyone's got to heat their homes for the holidays.

The plot is absurd. Christensen plays Clay Beresford who has a weak heart after a heart attack. He is left with his father's fortune and runs his company which from what we're told owns about half of New York. He falls in love with Sam Lockwood (Jessica Alba) who plays the pretty fiance. When he finally gets a heart to transplant, things become graphic when the anesthesia doesn't knock him out enough and he lies paralyzed and in excruciating amount of pain. But after that lasts for two seconds, he goes on an hour long journey to find a way to stop everyone from trying to kill him and take his money.

I don't want to give any more plot away because it would just give away spoilers, but the film relies on the stereotypical cliches that must take place in a suspense film. People who you thought were good are actually murderers and a last minute act of self-sacrifice saves someone important. There is no real reason to actually go and see it. Plus the film references one of the films I loathe the most (Darkness) and even though it may have worked better in this film, it certainly isn't a friendly reminder.