Awake (Blu-ray)

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My biggest issue is how "Awake" is riddled with so many medical blunders it's downright embarrassing. The sterility aspect was so atrocious that if the people in this movie were real doctors, their licenses would be yanked before they could say "HMO." Isn't it common sense that if a film is being made where the bulk of it takes place inside a hospital, then research should be done to make sure all of the medical facts are straight? I know dramas like "ER" and "House M.D." have real medical advisers on hand, so why wasn't one brought in here? What I find really disturbing is that Harold even specifically mentions in the commentary how the cast and crew observed actual open-heart surgeries in preparation for the film. If that is true, then the end product isn't something to be proud of--that's for sure.

Video:
"Awake" comes on a BD-25 platter (MPEG-4 video codec) and is presented in widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. To be honest, I never really expected such a sharp picture for this film. I was able to make out the tiny dust particles floating around in Harper's office and I could even partly see through Alba's top during the bathtub sequence--which was a nice surprise. Colors are bright and vibrant throughout, with rich and deep black levels as well as excellent facial detailing. With absolutely no noise and minimal grain, the Weinstein Co. definitely delivers a very pleasing transfer.

Audio:
The disc features English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and English/French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks. Like the video, I was thoroughly impressed with the lossless sound. The dialogue is well balanced with the music, and although the feature is primarily front-channel heavy, the rear speakers contribute a fair amount of background sounds in the operating room. Also available are optional English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:
The first bonus feature is a routine "Audio Commentary helmed by writer/director Joby Harold. While the man does provide the odd informative detail on filmmaking now and then, he's so enthralled with his creation that he fails to point out any of the film's faults--and often rambles on with tedious and irrelevant comments. Do we really need someone telling us Christensen is now walking through the door? I think we can figure stuff like that out. Obviously Harold is new at this, and it shows.

"Under The Knife & Behind the Camera: The Making of Awake" (13:13) contains little interesting information since the cast and crew uses the time to gush all over each other's work. Is this a production documentary, or a promotional piece? I couldn't tell.

After that we have seven "Deleted Scenes" with optional commentary by Joby Harold: "Clay & Jack," "Dracula," "The Checkbook," "Grim Reaper," "First Date," "Last Train Home," and "Christmas Eve."

The disc wraps things up with a "Storyboard-to-Film Comparison" showing a side-by-side view of scenes from the movie with storyboard artwork, and a "Theatrical Trailer."

What this release lacks is the bloopers and outtakes that were supposedly included on the Blockbuster exclusive version of the DVD. I guess the studio wanted it to remain exclusive to that release.

The Final Cut:
While "Awake" has its moments on a purely entertainment level, it ultimately suffers on a technical standpoint dozing off in places. The plot ends up being way more complex and convoluted than it really needed to be, and there is absolutely no excuse for Harold's sloppiness on medical accuracy and detail.

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