I had the chance to sit down and watch the 2019 movie "Awoken" here in 2020. And with the movie's cover, it being a horror movie and it being a movie I hadn't already seen, of course I found the time to sit down and watch the movie from writers Alan Grace and Daniel J. Phillips.
Well, for a horror movie, then "Awoken" was just bland. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying it is a bad movie. Not at all. The movie was actually, in fact, watchable and entertaining enough, but it was just a bland movie experience, that offered nothing new to a seasoned horror veteran such as myself.
The storyline in "Awoken" was fair enough. There were some good enough aspects to it that made it worthwhile watching. But at the same time, the storyline also had some rather mundane and generic aspects to it. Especially the predictability that lurked over the movie was just holding it down.
Now, I will say that the aspect of sleep deprivation has been used countless other times in other thrillers and horror movies, but it actually worked out well enough for the plot as written by Alan Grace and Daniel J. Phillips.
The acting in "Awoken" was good, and the actors and actresses carried the bland storyline a great long way with their individual and collective performances on the screen. I wasn't familiar with the talents in the movie, so that was definitely something that appealed to me.
For a horror movie, then the special effects used in "Awoken" were adequate. They weren't outstanding or particularly memorable, nor were they effects that make you go "wow!" I think that having made more use of high end special effects would have lifted up the overall feel of the movie in a much needed direction.
If you enjoy horror movies, give "Awoken" a chance. Mind you, this is by no means a movie that will rock your world, nor will it revolutionize the horror genre as we know it. I am rating director Daniel J. Phillips's 2019 movie a mediocre five out of ten stars. It was watchable, albeit predictable, but this is hardly a movie that will make you sit down to watch it a second time.
