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Cast: Cast: Jason London (Dazed and Confused) Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill movie series), Vinnie Jones (Snatch, “Galavant”), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), Natalie Burn (The Expendables 3), Robert Davi (Die Hard), Michael Paré (Lincoln Lawyer)
A group of young adults wake up on a deserted tropical island in this suspenseful thriller about black markets and body parts. Billie, a skilled martial arts expert, had been searching for her missing sister, Rina, when she was attacked and dumped on an island. She finds others like her…fit healthy adults in the prime of life, with no idea why they’ve been kidnapped, then let go, only to be hunted down like animals. Billie searches for a way off the island and finds the horrifying answers to some of her questions… a human organ harvesting operation, that picks and chooses from the strongest and most fit survivors.
After watching "Awaken" I wish the film makers had been a bit more vague when writing the synopsis because things that are written above and kept secret for most of the film. Since the cat is out of the bag, I am not going to ruin the film's other secrets as well here so not to ruin the whole experience for those wanting to see the film.
The film does have a few secrets that are not ruined above and there are also secret twists a long the way as well so there is a bit to look forward to. Like most films there are problems with the story and some plot holes as well but for the most part those are be over looked all things considered.
"Awaken" has an island setting but the story could have easily taken place in a lab somewhere. The Island setting had lots of potential but the filmmakers failed on using it to their advantage. What the film did have is a dream cast, how can you not want to see a film that stars, Jason London (Dazed and Confused) Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill movie series), Vinnie Jones (Snatch, “Galavant”), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), Robert Davi (Die Hard) and Michael Paré? And then there is the film's main star, Natalie Burn (The Expendables 3). With most of Hollywood's action stars getting too old to be believable here we have a young, kick-ass woman who is more than able to fill the void. The veteran cast I mentioned fill not different roles with some not having very much to do but Natalie makes the film as exciting as it is giving a very good acting performance and she delivers on all her action scenes. If I had one complaint it would be she was not given enough action scenes in the film.
The film starts off a bit slow as it sets up the story and introduces us to all the characters after that there is a good bit of drama and even some mystery, a lot of which got ruined by the synopsis above. Most of the action in the film happens toward the end but the film is never really boring. Even with all its flaws I still found it to be an entertaining watch mainly due to the film's cast. If you like this sort of thriller set on an island then you will enjoy this but I myself recommend it for the cast alone.
"Awaken" is available on DVD now, you can order it HERE.
Released by ARC Entertainment
** 3/4 Out Of *****