The Awakener (2018) User Reviews

Watchable.

[redd0487 · 5/10 · 12 November 2018]

I was going to watch the movie open minded, since I like Brazilian movies as a Brazilian. Even considering that Brazil usually does not make good action movies.

The 5 stars I give is for some action scenes, some CGI (except the final scene) and the city, that is kind of mash-up of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Also, it have a nice urban atmosphere. I admit that the movie could take my attention all the time, but there are some things that distracted me and could not made the movie good.

The actors: they act like robots. And as a Brazilian, I can say that no one speaks like they... there is always a punch or a saying. Everything is just unnatural, and I think the worse part is the villains, that are so much caricature (why they laugh all the time? This isn't a cartoon).

The action scenes: there are some over-action scenes there. The main character is kinda overpower, but there is no justification for that. Also, the are some unnecessary parkour stunts (why jump with a backflip when you can just jump?). Some scenes are just good because of the post edition (camera cuts).

The mask: the way that the main character gets the mask is unnatural, or maybe stupid. How could he know about the red lights? It is terrible.

I could write about some other bad scenes and ideas, like the unnecessary length of the movie, but I will just say that it is watchable, specially if you are Brazilian. If not, maybe you won't like at all the movie.

It's a good start

[eduardomacan-898-909384 · 6/10 · 16 November 2018]

The movie itself feels rushed during some important plot points, the story is a bit thin and you have to be very forgiving sometimes, but HEY! This is meant to be fantasy. Given the budget they had I think this movie really did it. I enjoyed it and I hope the TV series succeeds too.

Having a web comic become HQ, movie and tv series would be a first in Brazil, and I think we have demand for much more.

Cheers!

Not bad

[rudygerst · 7/10 · 29 January 2021]

First act was cheap. Second act was excellent. Third act started boring then ended well.

Good production value for a brazilian movie. The story is already seen, punisher-like, but the main character is likable. Nice action. We don't have the unrealistic stuff like "1 vs 35" fights or people thinking guns are knife. The movie felt realistic.

Well done, give it a try.

Brazil's "The Punisher".

[gabriel_sanchez · 7/10 · 4 November 2018]

The Awakener is a Brazilian movie about a special agent that goes rogue after his daughter dies because of Brazil's poor public health care system; so he starts doing justice with his own hands towards those he deems responsible for his and all Brazilians' suffering. It's based on a Brazilian comic book with the same name.

Its "The Punisher"-ish elements can be seen throughout the movie; the main character is full of sorrow and crazy about revenge, so mad that he starts crossing the line of what's even right to do. He blames the system and he wants to shut it down.

It's good entertainment. Take it as Brazilian's antihero plot approach. Although, it kinda suffers from some Brazilian robotic acting. Sometimes, some swearing seems unnatural, specially when they are saying the words way too well, as if they are reading a formal book; but that doesn't happen too often.

Overall, a good underground antihero. soon to be forgotten.

Punisher "made in Brazil"

[aruametello · 7/10 · 12 November 2018]

The movie is entertaining but with noticeable pacing problems. Overall a good fit for the "graphic novel adaptation" type of movie and some extra points for being a Brazilian production succeeding at doing it.

Pros: * high production value. * "Down to earth common man driven to do bigger things" type of plot. * "What if Punisher was Brazilian and targeted high valued political targets"?

Cons: * bad execution of the plot mostly due to bad pacing. * the theatrical cut feels like its missing scenes due to some odd editing.

Could be better

[joaocarlosleme-6-824390 · 7/10 · 9 March 2020]

One thing I don't get it...what special agent goes to battle without a bulletproof vest?

Nope

[YuriHerzog · 2/10 · 4 May 2019]

I was told that this is Brazil's first attempt into making a superhero film. I've seen some great action flicks coming out of our brothers down south, so it surprises me how much they've failed when creating this movie. First of all, it has the aesthetics of an SNL skit. Second, the action looks like something out of Black Dynamite, or worst, one of those generic parody movies. Don't even let me get start on the story.... There were 10 people involved in this script and 2 directors. I don't want to know what any of these people has ever done before, I just want to know if any one of them has ever seen a single movie in their entire lives. I don't get how this movie has such a good rate.

It's worth watching

[othoncezar · 9/10 · 18 April 2019]

This movie shows much more than what is seen in the scenes. First of all, that Brazilians can also make heores movies. It resembles The punisher. I guess there is some influence from other comics like Batman, the green arrow, death note.

I liked the filming, photography of the movie is pretty good. There is some mix of Sao Paulo and Rio, the night environment is really cool.

Nice film from Hq

[dennislima1 · 7/10 · 2 November 2018]

That's really brave and unespected...worth it. Adaptation role from Brazilian HQ. For the very first, sounds really good.

Vigilante...

[Thanos_Alfie · 5/10 · 18 March 2023]

"The Awakener" is an Action - Drama movie in which we watch an agent trying to get his revenge after the occurrence of a personal tragedy. He has to eliminate the corruption and who is responsible for it during the presidential elections.

I liked this movie because it had a nice plot with plenty of suspense and action that made it very interesting. The interpretations of Kiko Pissolato who played as Miguel Montessanti and Samuel de Assis who played as Edu were very good and their combination worked very well. Also the difference of their characters created the suspense I mentioned before and plenty of action scenes. It might be a simple action movie but I believe that it's a decent movie. In conclusion, I have to say that "The Awakener" is an interesting action movie and I recommend everyone to watch it.

As honest as possible

[gui_kudo · 8/10 · 22 March 2021]

Long: I have followed this material from when it was just a internet adapted comic, it's awesome. A little background from the third world that Brazil still is, we only make and invest in soap opera, with theatrical levels of acting, so you won't find Rodrigo Santoro's versatility and talent a lot in here. With that in mind, the acting in the critical participants of the film were convincent enough. I enjoyed very much, if our brazillian movies were to be going in this direction, it would mean pure EVOLUTION, which is not true, we are only making political biased documentaries and the cheapest comedies using youtubers.

Short Considering the low capacity of our brazillian artistic enviroment, it's a great entertaiment and i would show to people without any issue

So yeah, it deserves my 8 stars

Average action movie with justice against the corrupted elites.

[nouyrigatantoine · 7/10 · 2 February 2021]

It's not bad, rather enjoyable on the merits and quite good but not the apotheosis either. The special forces superhero who goes after corrupt elites after his daughter is murdered by enlisting the help of a young hacker. Here is a Brazilian film which mixes action and revolt against a system sclerotic by corruption and where the bad guys always come out winners. A feeling of approximation and watching a TV movie or an American series, the scenario would have been more dug and the photography and the staging too, but it's still passable.

Soap opera made in Brasil

[othon-92461 · 6/10 · 8 July 2020]

It is impressive the inability of actors from the globe to stop acting as in soap operas. a lot of shouting in the dramatic hours and bad takes .. the face of the Globo network at its worst moment.

Part political commentary, part comic book action-thriller....

[cyguration · 7/10 · 21 September 2022]

The Awakener (or The Night Watcher) is an interesting film. It reminds me a bit of the 1990s comic book films, where they attempt to squeeze two movies' worth of storytelling into an hour and a half film. This isn't a knock against the film, though, because it has a lot of characters, content, and interesting socio-political commentary to dispense within its runtime, and do so while still maintaining an emotional baseline for people to follow.

This is one-part The Punisher, one-part John Doe: The Vigilante, and one part Elite Squad. It manages to combine some interesting themes without really venturing too far away from either of its predecessors.

Unlike John Doe, though, the film has a more emotional hook, as Kiko Pissolato does a fantastic job portraying an emotionally distraught Miguel. He's really the anchor of the film, as he manages to convey a very hurt and fractured father who is also resolute in his mission. It's a tough role to nail down -- being both filled with rageful vengeance but also an understanding, understated, emotional vulnerability that fuels that rage. Not many actors can pull that off with saying as few words as Kiko was given to flesh out Miguel; it was all about stature, body language, and physical expression. And Kiko nailed it 100%.

Also, this guy looked like a super hero, which hearkens back to the old days of the 1980s, where you could just look at an actor on-screen and tell he was larger than life. Kiko manages to embody that for Miguel, which really helps sell the physical prowess and capabilities of the character.

However, there are some downsides, mostly -- and obviously -- due to budget constraints. You can tell that the film wasn't given a lot of room to maneuver when it came to shootouts, and there's not a lot of squibbing going on. The action beats are also fairly minimal, and the fight scenes are just passable enough. In this regard, its peers -- John Wick, Extremo, or Extraction -- all do the action beats better.

Then again, unlike its peers The Awakener has a bit more meat to its bones when it comes to characterization and plot. This isn't just a straightforward action film, and it has to latch the action onto a story-driven vehicle rather than the story being centered around the action.

I almost want to give it a 6 out of 10 for good effort, acting, and a brisk pace -- knocking off points for the lack of memorable action scenes, and the budget limiting the film when it came to chase sequences, fights, or even shootouts. However, the movie's message and themes reminded me a lot of Elite Squad, but instead of it being nihilistic it's more optimistic, feeding people some hope that if just one person attempts to curtail the corruption, maybe a difference can be made. And in a world filled with nihilism and hopelessness, I suppose I'm in a forgiving mood and tacking on one extra star because of that.

Has its problems, but otherwise good

[mbmtheband · 10/10 · 18 March 2020]

After being thoroughly disappointed with "Bacurau", I decided to try "Awakener" and definitely don't regret my decision.

The 10/10 rating is mostly because I feel a 6.5 is undeserved. It is an overachiever when it comes to Brazilian action films, which are a rarity. "Elite Squad" is the one that comes closest, but can't really be considered an action movie, since it lacks... well... action. This one, on the other hand, has plenty of it. If you grew up watching action flicks, you'll probably like it.

Yes, the story isn't the most original, we've all seen it before. Man loses child/loved one and gets vengeance over the people he deems responsible for it. Yes, it's "The Punisher", which could even be another translation for "Doutrinador". However, it does keep you on your toes, since it doesn't always go to the most obvious places. Not to mention that it doesn't make you feel good or comfortable, since in the back of your mind you know what he's doing isn't the right thing, but that doesn't stop you from rooting for him throughout.

I couldn't disagree more from a fellow reviewer who said the acting is bad. Yes, some dialogue could have been more natural, and yes the villains are over the top (just like in almost any action movie, villains are going to be two-dimensional), but the main actors give superb acting. When they're angry, you feel their anger; when they're sad, you feel their sadness; when they're in doubt, you feel their insecurity. At least to me that's good acting. Not always are you given the best lines, but you're still able to make lemonade out of it.

Cinematography is pretty good for Brazilian standards. It's the most Hollywoodian, for good and bad, out of every Brazilian film I've ever seen. It could do with some better coloring and occasional lighting, but it's a big step in the right direction of making Brazilian cinema more appealing to the average foreign viewer.

All in all, it's a good movie, with a good enough plot and mostly good acting. It'll definitely strike a chord with Brazilians more than foreigners, and maybe that's a fault, but it's still worth watching if you're not from Brazil but are a fan of action cinema. My real rating would be more like an 8, all things considered, but since I feel 6.5 is too low, I'm trying to help out with a 10/10. I sure hope to see more films of this caliber come out of Brazil. There's definitely room for more action movies in Brazilian filmmaking.

Nihilism from Brazil

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9/10 · 12 May 2022]

Typical Brazilian social drama thriller about main disease in this country: corruption from the top of elites and everthing that can provoke. The originality is that it also borrows from the super hero scheme to evoke this social plague. But from another angle that the Hollywood industry would use. It is brutal, bloody, not for the sissies but it also uses some light hearted lines to bring a counterpoint to such violence. Yes, it borrows ZORRO or SUPERMAN, or BATMAN overall scheme, but in such a bloody manner, nihilistic way, that of course most audiences will avoid this excellent action drama. Awesome ending. Not Hollywoodian, as you can guess.

Punisher would whoop this guy

[ThunderKing6 · 8/10 · 12 March 2023]

Punisher has better hand to hand, better gun skills, better kill instincts and even without a mask he was way more intimidating.

Although this guy was a pretty decent vigilante.

March 12th 2023.

What is this film about: Just like Castle somewhat. The Awakener wants revenge against those that killed his daughter. He goes on a manhunt, putting the corrupt asleep.

Story and production: It's pretty basic. A slave police officer goes rogue against his politicians. He kills them all.

The acting was fine. Camera quality was also fine. Overall, everything was fine. Though Awakeners fighting skills was hash.

Movie like these are predictable but I like them. Only Punisher movies have gotten the killer-vigilante the best.

I didn't like how the mother was against revenge for her own daughter. No wonder he left her. And his cop buddy was a simp for turning him in.

Highlight: I like the mask.

Villain: politicians and the police force.

Genre: Action, Superheroish, Police

Duration. 1 hour 47 minutes

Soundtrack: Was cool. Mostly hip hop stuff

Language: It's dubbed in English. Original language likely Portuguese.

What can be learned?: Revenge can transform you into to a different person

Verdict: Must stay awake for this good piece of movie.