I am going to tell you off the bat, The Signal isn't anything new in the sci-fi genre and it's unlike anything you've ever seen before. I know, I know, confusing right? Exactly. The Signal is the kind of movie that makes you THINK you have it all figured out and that you know where it's going, only to have the rug pulled out from under your feet at the end. I walked out of the theater both happy it was over and sad it had ended. This movie takes you from pillar to post. Let me explain.
The Signal stars three relative newcomers to the movie world. Little known Brenton Thwaites plays Nic, a guy on crutches helping his girlfriend move across country to go to school in California. His girlfriend Haley is played by Olivia Cooke, and they are joined by their best friend Jonah played by Beau Knapp. Those three were once students at MIT and while there their computers and servers were hacked by someone named Nomad. Nomad also hacked the computers of some students and Nic and Jonah were some of his victims. While traveling across America, Nomad makes contact with them again and this time they decide to track him down and give him a piece of their mind. Haley thinks they should just let it go but boys being boys, they dive in head first.
From there, the movie get's truly interesting. One second they are at the location of the IP address used by Nomad, the next they are awakened by hazmat suited scientist trying to discern what happened to them. Leading the scientists is the creepy soft spoken Dr. Damon played by the amazingly gifted Laurence Fishburne. The rest of the movie from that point on will have you wondering why certain things don't add up, but you won't figure that out until after you've left the theater. I always love movies like that, those that ferment in your mind and get better each passing day until you have to tell others that they should go see it, and that they should prepare themselves for what's coming.
The Signal is William Eubank's second film who cut his teeth as a cinematographer in the industry, so while the direction is somewhat iffy at times, the film looks absolutely breathtaking thanks to cinematographer David Lanzenberg. The music by Nima Fakhrara is dark and moody and perfect for the tone of this film. At times it's poignant, lush, desperate, and sparse which fits the characters and their struggles beautifully. It was a job well done. This movie, as stated earlier is about the other side of alien abduction and if you're truly interested in that, along with seeing something you've seen a thousand times and something you've never truly seen before, then I highly recommend The Signal. I'll see you at the theater.
MarkEricEntertainment
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