Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you like horror.
Score: 3.5/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 97 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“Before I Wake” is a horror movie about a boy, Cody, who has dreams that literally come true when he’s sleeping. But what’s worse is that his nightmares come to life as well. It stars Kate Bosworth (Jessie), Thomas Jane (Mark), Jacob Tremblay (Cody), Annabeth Gish (Natalie), and Topher Bousquet (The Canker Man). It is rated PG-13.
“Before I Wake” already has a very nifty premise, which sets it up for high expectations. While it doesn’t score that high on the scare factor, it makes up for it by giving us a heartbreaking story of loss and family. All the characters in the film are damaged in their own way, and the central antagonist is also a victim of circumstances. It’s reminiscent of Asian horror films, where instead of defeating a powerful supernatural villain, the heroes must help resolve the sad story of the creature in question.
Highlights
Jacob Tremblay is amazing as Cody
For a boy so young, he manages to pull off so many layers of subtext in his performance as Cody. His dialogue is simple, but it’s what he doesn’t say, the haunted look he gives to his foster parents, and his reactions to situations that defy explanation which really bring together the whole story. He’s so powerful yet so vulnerable, and this paradox is what makes him fascinating.
Jessie gets quite competent when needed
Unlike the usual helpless female protagonist, Jessie (Kate Bosworth) actually becomes pretty proactive after the mandatory screaming and freaking out. She, more so than her husband Mark (Thomas Jane), is the one who drives the story and actually finds the solution to resolving the film’s central conflict. It’s gratifying to see a strong, independent heroine in a horror film, and this is one of the more pleasant surprises of the film.
Parent-child relationships
One of the key message in the film is the importance and strength of parent-child relationships, and the consequences of both positive and negative situations. It’s heartbreaking to see the results, and you come away with sympathy for all the characters. It drives even the most pure-hearted of characters to extreme actions, which you know is really borne out of longing for family. The most unexpected circumstances are grounded in such emotion, which really serves to reinforce the theme in the film.
Japanese influence on the story
There’s a distinctly Japanese flavour to the story, in the sense that the plot revolves around a tragedy and no character is truly to be blamed for the series of events. That’s not to say the characters aren’t blameless though – many questionable actions result from the premise, whether directly or indirectly. The art direction and the nature of the supernatural also tend towards a Japanese aesthetic, and overall it benefits from being able to take the best aspects of Japanese horror and blending it with American sensibilities.
Letdowns
The actual creature isn’t scary
When you do see the monster clearly, it looks cartoonish and silly. It’s not as fearsome as the scares that come before it, and the only reason it would shock you is because of the loud roars and sudden movements it makes. It diminishes the scare, and it would have been better to have kept the creature the shadows rather than show it in all its CGI glory.
“Before I Wake” reminds you about the importance of family, even while scaring you silly with its premise.
“Before I Wake” opens in cinemas 5 May, 2016 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo!
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