Wake Up (2010 Video) User Reviews

Watch it to the end and it's worth it. But if you stop halfway it's not.

[The_Dead_See · 6/10 · 28 August 2013]

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.

Moved

[everdaboyz · 7/10 · 19 August 2013]

My daughter, who has a Masters in Psychology and is a shamanic practitioner, told me to watch this. For some reason I haven't figured out, i had to try and watch it three times (getting past the first twenty minutes was just so uncomfortable). It was worth the effort of breaking through that wall. I felt his journey was honest - including his discomfort in front of the camera and his slow learning that being vulnerable is not as awful as the fear of being vulnerable. The folks he contacted were very interesting and appeared genuine. There were many 'touching' moments. The 'ah-ha' moments were my favorites however - just love witnessing openings. Watch it with an open mind and heart - then see what you think after.

Is it real? Dunno. Is it good? Yes.

[BaiNst · 7/10 · 14 August 2013]

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).

Don't bother

[Vogon-Poet · 2/10 · 17 February 2014]

Personally, I am very skeptical of these types of claims and there were a few things that stood out. First off, he claims he can see angels, demons, spirits, etc., and he does give a vague explanation of what he sees, but he doesn't get into enough detail. For example, he does not explain how he can tell the difference between an angel and a demon. Also, are any of these spirits comforting or do they all creep him out? I really would have liked more detail and focus on what he actually experiences but I felt like a lot of it was glossed over because of his discomfort on the subject matter (to which I ask, why bother making a documentary?).

During the scene in the psychiatrists office, he claims there is a woman behind the psychiatrist but is unwilling or unable to describe what she looks like. If he can see her, why not try and describe her? If he can not describe her, how does he know it's a woman? So, as a viewer, we are supposed to just believe that a woman is standing there without any elaboration whatsoever. He doesn't even attempt to find a possible connection between the woman and the psychiatrist.

After finishing the movie, I have no better understanding of what he experiences and why than the very brief description at the beginning of the movie. I don't see how he (or the viewers) got any answers from what he did/the people he visited. The movie felt like it had more of a focus on religion and/or spirituality than his "gift" and I don't understand why he is uncomfortable using sage in his house yet he fits right in with Buddhist monks and was elated about his vision quest in the woods.

All in all, I do not feel this is worth watching. I am interested in watching a documentary about someone who has a "gift" like this however I am not interested in watching some random guy find his religion.

Anticlimactic

[kbjazic-201-279787 · 5/10 · 1 January 2015]

The description of this film was extremely interesting to me. A young man wakes up one day and is able to see angels, demons and ghosts. Awesome! That is exactly the kind of documentary I was looking for, and the kind of thing I am interested in. I began watching, and couldn't wait to see what remarkable things the man would have to share, and how he would put this ability to use. Unfortunately, this film failed to deliver much insight. I appreciate that he decided to document his experiences, and that he embarked on a spiritual journey of sorts to try to figure out why it was happening to him and what to do with his gift. But, although he did embark on this "quest for answers" he also seemed so resistant to everything and so clueless the whole time, that it was almost like he didn't gain anything and neither did I from watching him. There were some very interesting segments in this film and the subject matter itself was enough to keep me watching, but everything seemed half-hearted and there never seemed to be much of a desire to use the gift to help others. It was more like, although he said it was such a great thing, his attitude seemed more that he considered it a nuisance. I get it though. This is the "real" experience he had. He struggled, he didn't necessarily always WANT to be gifted. This is an aspect of this kind of thing we don't often see. He didn't just become a famous medium with a reality show. He wasn't a "spiritual" or "new agey" type person. I am sure there are many like him who could have related to his situation. But still, I wish he would have been more passionate and would have embraced things more. It almost seemed like he had a closed mind to his own experiences! Like I said, I credit him for at least doing what he did. He tried, and he did some interesting work and spoke to some interesting people, no doubt. I would like to see a sequel made when he has fully come to terms and figured out how to use his gift.

Not an advertisement for New Age

[jackory69 · 7/10 · 29 August 2013]

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.

No Way, No Thanks

[timmyhollywood · 3/10 · 10 August 2013]

I'm surprised there are no other reviews on here. I'll be brief. This film did not impress, and the subject matter struck me as a fakery almost right away.

As far as the craft of making a documentary film, there is very little here. Docs need skilled hands just like narratives do. Shooting things on a camcorder and cutting it together does not automatically a documentary film make.

As far as the subject matter is concerned, if someone is making claims to be able to see the supernatural (angels, demons, ghosts, etc.) then that person should not be the director of the film. Don't ya think? That's a little bit of a conflict of interest.

An even-handed approach to this would have been nice; an objective point of view from a third party filmmaker may have made this watchable. Instead, viewing the subject / director, Jonas, turn the camera on himself as he sits in front of the psychiatrist with this self-deprecating, dismissive schtick about seeing spirits only seemed like a performance.

I believe Jonas is lying, and that this is a hoax. But even "hoax" is too big of a word. This is just a guy pretending. The giveaway, for me, is in his put-on cavalier attitude. He continually downplays what is happening to him, acting as though it is embarrassing. He is a very subdued character, shuffling around and mumbling about how he feels goofy burning sage because it is "new age." The film takes a chance and tries to show the viewers something like Jonas is claiming to see. These are CGI "spirits" which float around some people on a New York City street. They look like colored paper underwater, or like the teleporter characters in the X men movies. This could have been a nice touch in a better film, but here, it's only a reminder that we're not actually going to be able to see anything Jonas claims to see, because it doesn't exist. At least, not for him.

I give Jonas a little credit for putting this into place with a back story about "how it all happened" - he basically planted seeds for a while before making the doc. This is the only crafty thing I found about his synthetic story.

And I have one admission: I didn't make it through the whole film. I got maybe halfway. So maybe in the second half I would have become a believer. I would have stuck around had the crafting of the film been better.

Fascinating, touching

[susan-767-632487 · 9/10 · 16 August 2013]

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.

What's the point of it all?

[FatherOfTwo · 5/10 · 3 February 2014]

No real explanation of how he affords all the travelling (does he even have a job?), no attempt to embrace any of the practises that offer him help, and a truly banal revelation that made me question seriously if the previous 90 minutes were worth it. Oh, and don't get me started on the oh-so-obvious guilt issues that command his life which he seems to be utterly oblivious to - or at least loathe to do anything about. Very little makes sense, and with massive coincidences (like his girlfriend's name) and scenes that smack of a set-up the overall feeling one gets from this is apathy, on every level. A semblance of a narrative arc would have been nice, but the story never gets out of second gear with the landscape becoming far more interesting than anything the protagonist does or says. I gave it a 5 because there's some evidence of competency in filmmaking, but with very little to engage with for the audience I can't recommend it.

Inspirational and heartwarming

[daveyabh · 9/10 · 3 September 2015]

Spirituality isn't a topic for debate using facts or statistics. It's based on a key factor that cannot be proved: faith. The very definition of the word faith when used in spirituality means to have trust and belief in something you cannot prove. For me, either you have it or you don't. When you have it, there is nothing anyone can say or do to dissuade you from your beliefs and many who do not have it spend a lot of time trying to make those with faith feel stupid or uninformed.

Jonas Elrod moves me in this film because of his honest and brave approach of placing his fears in the open and rolling up his sleeves and getting to the bottom of what is happening to him in his new existence. It's an candid journey over three years following a man desperately trying to figure out why he can all of the sudden access spirits and energy's and what his role is in the world with this new sensitivity.

I will say, this documentary is very non-threatening. Many films on this topic, at some point, stray from the underlined purpose and try to drive home an agenda or ideology. Frankly, this was just an honest movie about a scared and insecure man just trying to save his relationship with the woman he loves while trying to figure out why the hell all of the sudden he can experience and see things he'd only read about or seen in movies.

My take away form this film is something that hit and stuck with me towards the end. Jonas was at with a Native American family going on a vision quest. There was a baby with the father and the baby was so energetic and full of life- soaking in all that was around him and the father was so quiet and patient. I loved the dynamic because the father knew the baby was experiencing and learning all the new things around him, things the baby has never seen. It reminded me of Jonas and his quest for knowledge. For me- what's the difference between a baby being introduced to a new world full of things he's never seen, smelled, felt, tasted, or heard before and the world for Jonas now, which is full of new senses for him to learn and experience. Who are we to judge someone's journey when we don't have the experiences to relate or compare to his?

I also learned that in all the Native American languages, there is no term or word for "goodbye", only "til next time". How lovely. So, with that said, til your next film, Jonas Elrod.

Don't waste your time on this documentary

[npepitone · 2/10 · 18 August 2013]

I agree with timmyhollywood's review on this documentary. It was boring and very poorly thrown together. I expected to see more concrete examples of his connections with spirits, like in the movie sixth sense.

The only interesting part of the movie was the interview with Roger Nelson on his Global Consciousness Project, which has been collecting data from randomly generated numbers for 12 years. They claim that there is a connection between randomly generated numbers and world events, it is an interesting theory. However, I am skeptical.

I'm disappointed that Netflix has a 3 star rating on this film. Skip this film and watch Tom Shadyac's 'I Am' documentary, which is also available on Netflix and much more inspiring.

Three years, more questions than answers

[wolfmanchi · 3/10 · 13 August 2013]

Like another reviewer here, I have to question the veracity of Elrod's claim that he sees people (and colors, and other things) that others cannot see. For someone who woke up one day to experience these phenomena, he seems remarkably incurious as to why it is occurring. Although the documentary purports to take us along on Elrod's journey to do just that, it ends up sidetracked in a morass of new-age spirituality that has little to do with the specific phenomena that occur to Elrod. As a viewer, it's frustrating to watch Elrod avoid the simple and most obvious questions that would arise by placing oneself in his shoes.

For example, Elrod (early in the film) speaks to a therapist (psychiatrist? Not sure as I don't believe the gentleman was identified). He tells the therapist that he (Elrod) can see a woman standing behind him (the therapist). He seems troubled, which is understandable. Yet we never see Elrod wonder what that woman's presence indicates. Does she want to tell him something? Is she in pain? Is she threatening? The viewer is only left to wonder, because that's one of the last times Elrod addresses a specific instance.

For the balance of the documentary, we see Elrod visit a series of spiritual guides, who offer him little in the way of answering what or why this is happening to him. They offer platitudes about embracing the change in his life but it does little to resolve the question about what is happening to him or what the phenomena are.

As a viewer, I don't expect necessarily to get to the bottom of Elrod's experience, but I expect him to at least engage the obvious questions. At the end, Elrod seems happy but nothing along the way occurs to him that would logically explain his transformation from the muttering, troubled person at the beginning of the film. Perhaps Elrod preferred not to end on a down-note or at least not at the same place he started three years prior, but it seemed like a ham-handed attempt to appear cheerful after his journey, rather than as logically confused as he leaves his viewer.

Excellent

[jstarkey4 · 10/10 · 25 July 2020]

I think people are expecting answers based on his claims. He is not giving answers. He is just exploring these experiences. Reality doesn't always offer up easy answers for us. I really appreciated this approach.

Rare find

[simplefeet · 21 November 2019]

This film was a good watch. Life is a live event, and I think if you have an open mind, and are willing to analysis his experiences on your own you'll enjoy this film. If you don't expect him to process the experiences while experiencing them and explain them to the viewers, you really may like this film. Although I hold different believes, I respect that these people have shared their experience. So far I've only found snippet testimonies online about the unseen world.I found that most people who have extra-sensory experiences share them through books and not through film- so this is a rare find. Most importantly, if you cannot disprove these things happen, or you cannot prove these people are lying then just stick to criticizing the audio quality and not a whole world you cannot disprove.