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Wake Up
2024 80 min France 18+
★6.3
Horror, Thriller, Action
Director: Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Trailers
Description
A group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Worldwide:
$251,071
Starring
Turlough Convery
Actor
Benny O. Arthur
Actor
Jacqueline Moré
Actor
Awards
2 nominations total
Key opinion
Wake Up is a lackluster slasher that fails to balance its eco-activist premise with effective horror mechanics. While the production design utilizes the store setting well for visuals, the film is hampered by poorly developed characters and a lack of genuine tension.
| Screenplay | The characters are rendered as one-dimensional, intolerable tropes who lack clear motivation or empathetic qualities. | |
| Production | The store environment is effectively leveraged through creative set-piece imagery, such as the memorable phosphorescent paint sequence. | |
| Pacing | The film fails to generate suspense or maintain a compelling atmosphere, resulting in a horror experience that feels routine and predictable. | |
| Acting | Performances are highly inconsistent, ranging from convincing portrayals of the antagonist to overacted, unconvincing turns by the supporting cast. | |
| Theme | The narrative's tone is divisive; some find the attempt to satirize reckless activism superficial and forced, while others appreciate the harsh, non-clichéd nature of the finale. |