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Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Hempstead Wright, Shaun Dooley ... see more see more... , Joseph Mawle , Staunton Isaac , Lucy Cohu , John Shrapnel , Diana Kent

Set in London in 1921, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall), author of the popular book "Seeing Through Ghosts," has devoted her career to exposing claims of the supernatural as nothing but hoaxes. Haunte... read more read more...d by the recent death of her fiancé, she is approached by Robert Mallory (Dominic West) 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. -- (C) Cohen Media Group

Flixster Users

52% liked it

12,182 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

65 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Nick Murphy

Release Date: August 17, 2012

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DVD Release Date: January 29, 2013

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Flixster Reviews (741)

  • emilkakko
    April 20, 2013
    emilkakko
    Here is a film that begins as a very good mystery thriller with supernatural overtones and ends up as an awful mess. I felt very disappointed because the first hour is truly quite effective to sit through. The often used jump scares are almost completely avoided and when director... read more Nick Murphy uses them he truly makes them effective. The Awakening has elegance, atmosphere and style which is quite absent in a films like this these days. All is well until the final third kicks in.

    Murphy's own screenplay does not lack certainly any ambition but too much ambition can kill you and it definetly does kill this film. It is seriously a damn shame to see so much potential wasted here. This could have been truly something special and even a minor gem if it would not aim to be one of those thrillers with a major twist in it's end. I personally don't have anything against twist endings. I personally loved M. Night Shyamalan's masterful The Village and the major twist it had. Recently i adored what Juan Carlos Fresnadillo did with his Intruders. I guess my point is that sometimes, when made with true skill, these twists can even make great films into masterpieces, but that is not the case here.

    Nick Murphy goes literally bonkers towards the end of this film and tries to shoot in every possible direction. He is like a man drowning into quicksand. Every revelation feels more sillier as it goes along and the final thirty minutes are just ridicilous and melodramatic nonsense. It is also a crime that Murphy turns film's main character Florence Cathcart, quite effective Rebecca Hall, from an elegant and sophisticated woman into a hysterical skeptic in a second. Transformation does not feel true even a moment. Overall i felt that somewhere beneath this story lies a good but bit cliched film. This could have been a good old ghost story but unfortunately it is not even a close.
  • blacksheepboy
    December 22, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    Despite the promising beginning and the solid art direction, this conventional ghost story never rises above its clearly derivative narrative - which, among many deficiencies, tries to be clever with a lame (and unnecessary) twist but is only convoluted and obvious.
  • 3niR
    June 28, 2012
    3niR
    Totally unexpected ending. Was scary and also entertaining.
  • Deano78
    May 6, 2012
    Deano78
    A decent British film that has plenty of creepy atmasphere, without ever really being scary. A good British cast with a lot of recognizable faces give a good performance collectively and the
  • Crashinkov
    April 19, 2012
    Crashinkov
    in the beginning of the movie really I didn't find it attractive, and during it there were alot of ups and downs, some were boring and make no sense, and other were a confusing nice tension, but in the last 30 min I figured all the things out,really it was an amazing end.
  • imrealgod
    March 20, 2012
    imrealgod
    With its own originality, it's a sort of The Sixth Sense meeting The Orphanage. Sort of. From action to direction, everything's smooth and fine. Quite watchable.
  • fb704730572
    April 20, 2013
    fb704730572
    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 we... read morears 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
  • fb100000469391382
    July 22, 2012
    fb100000469391382
    An eerie ghost story with intrigue and suspense but can drag on in it's below average runniing time. As my previous statement said the film's length is around 90minutes and it sometimes feels like a 2 hour film that gets boring now and again.
    The main problem with ghost movies is... read more the ending and in the average ghost flick the ending is sometimes unsatisfying and it spends the whole film building up to it. And sometimes this film feels like that but it takes it play by play and the ednign is actually good and satisfying.
    The tension and suspense worked quite well and kept you on edge throughout. The setting of 1921 was a clever and unexpected choice but everything that was featured felt like it fit the time well and suited the context. The acting was really good with rebecca hall ass the lead role playing a very complex character and Dominic West was very welcome playing a likeable teacher.
    Overall this was an unsettling and suprising ghost story that sometimes becomes a bit too slow and periodic.
  • tard15r06
    November 13, 2011
    tard15r06
    1921 and scientist Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) works as a civilian consultant debunking hoaxes regarding the paranormal.

    When schoolteacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West)asks for her assistance to investigate a death following the sighting of an apparition at his school in... read more Cumbria, Cathcart is confronted with a situation which is otherworldly... or has more of a human influence to it.


    This drama is very much in the style of The Turn Of The Screw or the forthcoming The Woman In Black as the lead character of Florence is required to investigate supernatural goings on in a remote location. The film uses very little in the way of camera trickery and goes more for a slowly building tension as the story progresses.

    Rebecca Hall delivers an excellent performance in the role of Florence. At first she is sure of the nature of the world seeing the supernatural as fodder for charlatans and tricksters. However, as the film progresses the character loses this sense of her reality as she investigates the supposed hauntings at the school.

    Hall is ably supported by Dominic West in the role of Mallory which calls for the character to move from a confrontational posture of disliking Florence's work to thst of an ally and Imelda Staunton who portrays the role of the school's matron, and fan of Cathcart's work, Maud.

    The cinematography and direction is beautiful supporting and building on the menace throughout the film.

    The script is cleverly written as red herrings are exposed and clues are hidden very much in plain sight.

    So, why only 70%? Well, to be honest this film isn't really suitable for the big screen and it misses the market that it is aimed at. This film is more suitable for the quiet confines of a dark room in autumn with a coal fire burning in the hearth and the viewer being scared from the comfort of their armchair.

    My advice... wait for this one when it comes out on home viewing where you may get more benefit from the scares.
  • danieljparsons
    November 27, 2012
    danieljparsons
    M'eh. An excellent performance from Rebecca Hall, some great design and nicely pervading sense of atmosphere. But it's all undone by such a horribly derivative story, and, especially, bleedingly obvious 'twist'. Nothing here that wasn't done twice as better in The Others.

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Critic Reviews

Moira MacDonald
August 30, 2012
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Though the story spirals a little out of control in the film's final scenes, "The Awakening" offers the low-key pleasures of an old-fashioned thriller and a lovely central performance. Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 30, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Whatever. Full Review

Claudia Puig
August 23, 2012
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The cast is anchored by two wonderful actresses: Imelda Staunton and Rebecca Hall, whose talents are squandered on this lackluster horror drama. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
August 17, 2012
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

When these sudden surprises work, as in "A Beautiful Mind" or "The Others," you're too stunned to swallow that next handful of popcorn; when they don't, you're tempted to throw your whole box at the s... Full Review

Chris Berube
August 17, 2012
Chris Berube, Globe and Mail

A dull British import that never lives up to the pretensions of its period setting. Full Review

Sara Stewart
August 17, 2012
Sara Stewart, New York Post

An enjoyably old-fashioned ghost story in the vein of "The Others" and "The Orphanage." Full Review

Mark Jenkins
August 17, 2012
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post

"The Awakening" is nonsense, but with its posh British cast and colors drained to near-gray, it's very solemn nonsense. Full Review

David Lewis
August 16, 2012
David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle

A lot of tension and buildup leads us to ... well, it's hard to say. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
August 16, 2012
Stephanie Zacharek, Los Angeles Times

"The Awakening" takes so many unnecessary twists and turns that the final one, which should be a biggie, ends up feeling inconsequential. Full Review

Stephen Holden
August 16, 2012
Stephen Holden, New York Times

For all of its airs of refinement, "The Awakening" is pretty stale stuff. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Robert Mallory: These boys aren't worried about bumps in the night. They are frighted... to death.
    • Florence Cathcart: You can't hunt what doesn't exist.
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