"The Awakening" is an example of a film that takes itself far too seriously.  I kept waiting for someone to wink at the camera as they read this over-the-top narrative.  Unfortunately, they kept on chirping away like cheerful cartoon characters.  The people in this film are not only over-the-top, they are looking down at the top.  Now, you might be wondering why over-the-top is a criticism in my review of this film.  Over-the-top can be a style if it's Al Pacino or Sean Penn raging against something that calls for that particular style.  In this film, everyone involved needed to have a little fun and let loose with the total silliness of the script.  If they did that, we would have had an enjoyable Indy flick. "The Awakening" follows Dr. David Andrade, who is about to lose his beloved wife to cancer.  In a effort to save her, he subjects her to a genetic experiment, in hopes that it will cure her of cancer. The medicine works and works very well.  She becomes stronger and better than ever.

He also helped write the screenplay. "The Awakening" is a well-made film and there is skill behind it, but the screenplay is clunky and pedestrian.  Everyone in the film seems to be working from a very limited knowledge of basic English.  With that said, the action scenes are a lot of fun to watch.  They are skillfully made and quite entertaining.  The film just suffers drastically when it asks everyone involved to speak for a long period of time.

If the film had a great screenplay along with great action scenes, it would have been an entertaining venture.  Instead, it feels extremely uneven.  I give the filmmakers credit for trying something different, but it didn't quite work in the end. I look forward to Mike Conway's next film and I hope he gets one singular writer for his next project.  The film was written by three different writers and it feels overstuffed with themes.  Stick with one vision and really go with it.

"The Awakening" is a wasted opportunity.  This looks like a film that was rewritten and gone over one too many times.  It's a shame because the acting and direction is top-notch.  It's crisp, clear, and precise.  It just gets lost in the shuffle due to the wishy-washy screenplay.

• For more information on "The Awakening," check out the official website.

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