In a time where every movie is a remake or a sequel, one movie dares to take an old story and rehash it into something so surreal it’s great. “Awake” takes the concept of anesthesia awareness and brings it to life. What makes this story so good?

First, anesthesia awareness is where the subject in a surgery is still awake due to ineffective anesthetics and can hear and feel everything but cannot let anyone know until the surgery is over. What I have described is the worst-case scenario for anyone facing surgery. Although it is a relatively rare occurrence, it happens to people.

Okay, so this isn’t the most original story invented. Stephen King has written a story similar to this (“Autopsy Room 4”) and there was an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” called “Breakdown,” that shared a similar plot.

In the film, Clay Beresford (Christiansen) seems to have a good life. He is the head of a major company, despite being in his late twenties, and has secretly married his girlfriend (Alba). Still, he has a major illness, and needs an operation. His friend, Dr. Jack Harper (played by Terence Howard), has agreed to perform the operation.

His mother (played by Lena Olin) is very nervous about the situation. She doesn’t like her son’s new wife, and he won’t have his operation performed by the well-respected surgeon whom she has chosen. The operation commences, despite his mother’s objections, and as the doctors inject the drugs in his system, he immediately realizes the drugs used to put him under haven’t worked.

Nervousness turns into horror as the operation starts because he feels every cut and incision. During the start of the operation, a new doctor, played by Christopher McDonald, enters the room, quite drunk, to observe and comments about a game he wants to go to. None of the doctors realize what is going on.

At this point, the plot quickens as Clay remembers happier moments in his life to help him deal with the pain. The movie makes itself memorable in its final half with multiple plot twists, and shows how much effort went into making it a crowd-pleaser.

Christiansen does a good job making his character relatable, but it is the surgery scenes where he shines. Despite being unmoving and not speaking through most of the movie, the audience sees what he goes through by seeing the operation on screen and hearing his inner monologue as he desperately tries to endure the pain.

Alba, who is known for playing sweet and relatively innocent women in her movies, takes a daring turn as someone who viciously double-cross Clay in the movie, and it pays off. Fans of this talented actress will have mixed feelings about her during the movie.

This movie is good, and the acting is top notch. Sadly, it is shorter than the average ninety-minute film, leaving the viewer wondering if there was more to this movie before hitting theaters, or if it is so short to keep its pace so heart-pounding.

The surgery scenes are quite graphic as well, but for TV fans used to seeing shows like “CSI,” or one of my personal favorites, “Dexter,” handling the surgery scenes visually should be okay.

Just realize that watching someone have to endure surgery fully conscious and without anesthesia is much harder to watch than expected. The emotional reaction to what’s going on in the movie is excruciating. Movies like that are too good to pass up. Trust me, this is a movie to look forward to seeing.