ThiefHott
Too much of everything
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
jackory69
It hit me pretty early on that this was most probably not a "legitimate" documentary but something more along the lines of Joaquin Phoenix'a "I'm Still Here". Still the concept was interesting. Personally I enjoyed the "spiritual journey" aspect that would have been interesting even without the premise of his sixth sense. A reviewer here implied, in so many words, that the film came off as one big advertisement for new age philosophy, etc. I didn't see it that way. On the contrary, Elrod's reactions to practically all of the "mystics" was one of befuddlement, confusion, cynicism and resignation that the journey had not ended...and perhaps it's a paradox that he "found enlightenment" not with modern esoteric theology but in the ancient wisdom of the Native American. On the contrary, I got the impression that some of the new age practices were being skewered. I mean, how foolish do grown men and women look shooting arrows at targets with blindfolds on their eyes??? I give the film a seven because it was interesting and a decent, if concise introduction to unorthodox belief systems. It held my attention.
The_Dead_See
It was interesting reading one of the other reviews on here that hits on how fraudulent Elrod seems in the first half of this documentary. I felt exactly the same way - that Elrod is a guy who either lives in a fantasy prone world or is outright hoaxing to make a quick buck. In fact I felt this way so much that after the first 30 minutes or so I kind of quit watching and started surfing the net on my computer instead while the documentary kept playing to itself in the background.I'm glad I didn't turn it off.Around the hour mark the documentary takes a turn, with Elrod heading out on a sort of spiritual quest, and gradually it caught my attention again. All talk of what he purportedly experiences goes away and instead he's just shown exploring a variety of spiritual groups from a new age mind control retreat, to a Buddhist center and finally a Native American vision quest in the forest.Ultimately the film becomes a message that all spiritual pursuits are probably just stumbling attempts pointing towards a single truth of the human condition. Elrod doesn't purport to comprehend this truth (he just calls it God) but he seems joyful enough to have come to the realization that it can't help but make the viewer feel a little uplifted with him.I should note that I'm agnostic bordering on atheism and I take vehement offense at any film that tries to preach to me. "Wake Up" did not, so even though the Christian concept of God is discussed through the first half of the film as Elrod's primary belief system, this is not a documentary that proselytizes in any way... so all you atheists out there are safe. So if you watch the documentary to the end, the question of whether Elrod is hoaxing or not kind of becomes moot. It becomes apparent that this is a film about human nature, inclusion and interconnectedness instead. It's about a journey away from organized religion and towards personal spirituality. Elrod may be a fictional protagonist heading towards this conclusion or he may legitimately believe in his experiences but it doesn't really matter because it still makes for a fairly engaging quest.
susan-767-632487
I really liked this documentary and plan to watch it again shortly with my husband. It is a refreshing look at a courageous man grappling to come to terms with unusual abilities that come to him. Other reviewers doubt the authenticity of his experience. That did not occur to me, honestly. It seemed believable, and, yes, it would have been nice to have more explanation. But what I got was that there really was no explanation, and that is a fact of life, that it's full of mysteries. Mostly, however, it's a journey from a fundamentalist Christian origin to a journey of open spiritual exploration and the realization that we are evolving to a world where spirituality transcends religion.
bainst
This is a good documentation of the early steps of a spiritual journey/awakening, but it is so generic and leaves so much unanswered (what was/were the experience(s) leading up to waking up one day to just suddenly see angels and demons?...just the dream of his friend that came to truly happen?...), that it's not fulfilling as either a documentary or a mocumentary.As it is, it comes off as another WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW? attempt by the Ramtha organization to bring in a few more students. Maybe if the lead character and his girlfriend hadn't both had previous filmmaking experience...although, it certainly makes it more understandable that they would choose to shoot a documentary of his exploration of possible meanings to his experiences.The reason I gave this a seven out of ten is because it is structurally sound, decent craft in the cinematography/directing/...acting?, and got me into it enough that I watched it to the end to see how it developed (even though I was questioning its reality the entire time). In any case, it's better than Juaquim Phoenix's satire of this sort of spiritual path...so even if it's a more constructed "documentary" it's very well done.p.s. (real spoiler here) -- The "answer" that is hinted at but never stated is that we are in Hell, ruled and tormented by demons...including many of the spiritual masters featured in this story. When you die, don't come back. Party's over (if it ever really got started).
