Review of The Awakening (2011) by Jeffrey M — 19 Apr 2013

Old school, The Awakening is the sort of old fashioned horror thriller that has died out in recent times. It offers a pretty conventional story, that of a suspected haunted boarding school, and a skeptic bound to bust the myth of its haunting. As events unfold, that skepticism wears down. Yeah, it has been done before.

What I will say about The Awakening is that it never ceases to engage with the audience because of how fast paced it is. The plot deficiencies are often masked by this, as we briskly go from one scene to another. The acting is also strong, with Rebecca Hall really elevating what could have otherwise been a pretty lame part, and Dominic West providing a good supporting role. Their dynamics are interesting, the period piece backdrop of the film gave it a strong atmospheric tone, combined with tense direction.

The obvious negative of Awakening is the script, which is conventional and serviceable for most of the film, but quickly becomes a mess, with asinine plot turns, in the last act. This has, unfortunately, become the norm for these sort of films, always wanting to reach absurd heights to be memorable.

Overall it does enough right to make it a good B thriller, nothing more.

3/5 Stars.