The Awakening

Name: The Awakening
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: August 17, 2012
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, John Shrapnel, Lucy Cohu, Rebecca Hall

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 52 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 52 Ratings

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The Awakening

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Movie Details & Credits

Cohen Media Group | Release Date: August 17, 2012 | R

Starring: Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, John Shrapnel, Lucy Cohu, Rebecca Hall

Summary: Set in London in 1921, Florence Cathcart, author of the popular book "Seeing Through Ghosts," has devoted her career to exposing claims of the supernatural as nothing but hoaxes. Haunted by the recent death of her fiance, she is approached by Robert Mallory to investigate the recent death of a student at the all-boys boarding school whereSet in London in 1921, Florence Cathcart, author of the popular book "Seeing Through Ghosts," has devoted her career to exposing claims of the supernatural as nothing but hoaxes. Haunted by the recent death of her fiance, she is approached by Robert Mallory to investigate the recent death of a student at the all-boys boarding school where he teaches. When students at the school report sightings of the young boy's ghost, she decides to take on the case. Initially, the mystery surrounding the ghost appears nothing more than a schoolboy prank, but as Florence continues to investigate events at the school, she begins to believe that her reliance on science may not be enough to explain the strange phenomenon going on around her. (Cohen Media Group)
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Director: Nick Murphy

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 107 min

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Critic Reviews

Sara Stewart

Aug 17, 2012

The self-possessed Hall is well-suited to this proto-feminist role, smoking and rolling her eyes as the pasty old men around her exclaim, for what is clearly the millionth time, "An educated woman!" as if she were a zoo animal. Read full review

John Anderson

Aug 16, 2012

The film benefits enormously from having the luminous Rebecca Hall as its lead. It also gains an ominous gravity from the haunted, wounded and wobbly England in which it's set. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Aug 8, 2012

Not to be confused with a dramatization of Kate Chopin's great 1899 proto-feminist novel, this by-the-numbers British ghost story, set just after WWI, devotes a lot of energy to set decoration. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Aug 16, 2012

As ghost stories go, this one's done just well enough to provide reminders of how it has been done better. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Aug 16, 2012

Most of the supernatural sightings are flickers at the corners of the screen, so that at certain moments watching the movie feels like taking an eye exam. You see it, then you don't. But the film is not especially scary, and even its boo! moments lack a visceral shock. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Aug 6, 2012

Though handsome to look at, so-so supernatural chiller The Awakening recalls "The Others," "The Orphanage" and other haunted-house tales of recent vintage, making an impression more derivative than memorable. Read full review

Chris Cabin

Aug 15, 2012

The film takes pains to ensure that the story feel like laborious toil rather than a trip through the dark side of the ethereal. Read full review

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User Reviews

meydianarizki21

Oct 27, 2020

Fantastic film to make you squirm whilst you think!!
Just saw this at an advance preview and it is fantastic. If you like your a fan of Spanish horror like The Orphanage of Hierro then you will love this.
Delibrately hiding key facts throughout the film to keep you guessing so ignore theFantastic film to make you squirm whilst you think!!
Just saw this at an advance preview and it is fantastic. If you like your a fan of Spanish horror like The Orphanage of Hierro then you will love this.

Delibrately hiding key facts throughout the film to keep you guessing so ignore the reviews here trying to compare this to Paranormal Activity 3. This is a film where you have to use your brain, you have to concentrate and let the film take you on a journey and if you do then you will be justly rewarded with a scary ghost story.

It builds and builds to an excellent ending , you just need a little bit of patience and a little bit of brain power to get you there.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

audreythomas25

Feb 11, 2016

A concise little old-school British ghost story, and I say there's always room for a few more of those.

Watch this movie here for free http://www.watchfree.to/watch-29add7-The-Awakening-movie-online-free-putlocker.html

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Arcandio

Aug 7, 2013

If you're looking for cat scares, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a film with atmosphere, impending horror, excellent plot twists, and British pacing, you're in luck.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Spangle

May 7, 2015

An interesting film, The Awakening is not exactly what I was expecting, but still wound up delivering some good stuff. Firstly, from a horror aspect, there are some truly terrifying scenes that really get the juices flowing. There are not many, but there are some and damn are they effective.An interesting film, The Awakening is not exactly what I was expecting, but still wound up delivering some good stuff. Firstly, from a horror aspect, there are some truly terrifying scenes that really get the juices flowing. There are not many, but there are some and damn are they effective. The film also sports some great acting from Rebecca Hall and Dominic West who really dominate the screen every time they are shown. The mise en scene is gorgeous, especially the production design. Really beautifully put together all-around. The mystery/thriller portion of this one is interesting and really opens the door for interesting discussions on loneliness, death, and the afterlife. However, the film simply tries to do too much, which is ultimately its undoing. Though ravishingly beautiful and well-written, it overreaches and would have been best served narrowing its focus and really digging deeper into one particular issue. Ultimately, the first three quarters of this one are quite strong, but then comes the lackluster final quarter, which really could have been done better.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

marcmyworks

Jun 10, 2016

This film beautifully manages to create mystique and intrigue while remaining quiet and unassuming. The structure is good, however the scenes cut strangely and the ending too blatantly open ended.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

slippery

Aug 29, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first half of the movie is outstanding, which makes it much more of a shame that the second half is so shallow and unoriginal.

It begins in the early 1920s. Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is a wealthy, university educated, strong, independent, opinionated woman (and published author) who has made a name for herself discrediting spiritualists, debunking hauntings etc.

What makes her stand out, though, is that she's not simply a typical one-dimensional cardboard cutout. Early on, particularly, she shows an intense frailty despite her strong outward demeanor. Having lost a young man during the war, inside she's a mess, crumbling with guilt over her betrayal of a man who loved her, and his subsequent death in the war. They never say it, but it seems that in her fiery desire to discredit ghosts, she's passionately looking for faith, for proof of life beyond death, for proof that the man who loved her isn't simply spoiled meat under the ground. Each time she finds proof that the ghost is a hoax, she crumbles just a little more, even to the point of losing all will to live.

She's met by the admirably subtle Robert Malory (Dominic West). His outward strength, like hers, is a facade. He takes tremendous pains to hide a mild stutter and a slight limp. He tells Florence of a ghost haunting the boarding school where he teaches, and mildly bullies her into coming to debunk it so that the young boys at the school can sleep at night, yet it's obvious that HE believes in an actual spirit.

One of the things that touched me, were the performances of Dominic West and especially Shaun Dooley, who played the abusive teacher Malden McNair. There's a scene where Malory (West) suddenly becomes awkward and excuses himself. He goes to his room and begins shaking uncontrollably, in what looks like an epileptic seizure. Bearing in mind, he's a WWI veteran, I imagined it was the long-term after-effects of nerve gas. It's the kind of detail most people wouldn't think of in writing a character for a movie such as this. McNair, for all his bluster, is likewise frail. He suffers a chronic cough. TB? Or damaged lungs? At one point, after admitting bullying a student mercilessly, he pleads with Malory that he didn't want to coddle the boys, that he wanted them to grow up strong, and "not like us." Again, I was touched by the sensitivity, the awareness of how the tremendous fear one experiences in war can be completely unmanning, debilitating even years later.

But even for al the magnificently subtle characterization and plot weaving, about halfway though the movie, it was almost as if the writers threw up their hands in despair and said "Where can we possibly go from here?" The second half of the movie virtually ignores the subtle build-up of the first half, and instead we have a few cheap and unnecessary dramatics, a rather awkward and (in my opinion) out of place and unnecessary sex scene, followed by a rather desperate sewing together of plot pieces from The Sixth Sense, The Others and The Haunting.

The movie had good suspense, but the plot just seemed to take a ridiculous turn in the second half, and not even an original turn. The actors and actresses, particularly those mentioned above and also Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Tom, were fantastic. Not a bad movie, but disappointing.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Mike_M

Sep 26, 2013

Why they didn't make a full movie about what the first half of the movie is about.......... has "lost opportunity" written all over it.

As it is, The Awakening seems like 3 different movies. You've seen 2 of them and you don't want to see them again. I'm obliged to blame the script,Why they didn't make a full movie about what the first half of the movie is about.......... has "lost opportunity" written all over it.

As it is, The Awakening seems like 3 different movies. You've seen 2 of them and you don't want to see them again. I'm obliged to blame the script, though plenty of people who could have turned the project down went ahead and made the script.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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