The Awakening trailer recalls the first Predator
Soldiers and conquistadors face the same dark presence in the Colombian jungle
The trailer for The Awakening (El Despertar in original) immediately brings to mind the cult classic Predator by John McTiernan: an elite military squad, a mission in the jungle, and a threat that defies all control. The sci-fi horror film directed by Jaime Osorio Márquez then broadens its scope, intertwining the contemporary nightmare with a curse dating back five centuries.
The story follows a special unit sent into the Colombian jungle with the task of an elimination. The operation goes awry when a primordial force awakens in the darkness, turning the soldiers into prey. In the same territory, centuries earlier, a Spanish conquistador expedition suffered the same fate: two groups far apart in time, united by an enemy that grants no quarter.
A curse that spans centuries
The cast includes Claudio Cataño, Alejandro Buitrago, Héctor Sánchez, and Andrés Londono. Author and director of the film, Osorio Márquez was unable to see his artistic creation come to life, having died before its completion. Producer Federico Durán and director José Luis Rugeles completed it, preserving the vision of the Colombian filmmaker, appreciated for his approach to genre cinema.
The Awakening will be released digitally on November 10 in the United States, while physical editions for Home Video are scheduled for December 15. In Italy, we imagine availability only in digital form, hopefully at least with decent dubbing.