What initially drew me to The Signal was its comparison to Primer--one of the most intriguing sci-fi films of the past decade--by some critics. For much of the film, that comparison is very accurate.
The Signal offers a lot of the same down-to-earth realism, mystery, and low-key, drawn-out tension that made Primer such a riviting viewing experience. But then there's the last Act of the film... As much as the first 2 Acts had me completely entranced, Act 3 had me glancing at my watch. Without giving anything away, let's just say that it delves into the usual Hollywood trap of science-fiction, that offers lots of action, not much substance, and forgets all of the wonderful pacing and tension that was built up earlier in the film. Had it followed through with a consistent tone, I'd probably be recommending The Signal as a Film of the Year, because its cinematography, acting, and general concept are all fantastic and completely engrossing. But that last Act, man.... woof.
The Signal starts out as hacker movie where the three principals are decoding messages and following a mysterious signal to its source somewhere in the desert. Apprehended by Area 51-ish personnel, the film turns into a strange, Kafkaesque prison/madhouse puzzle movie, where it's most interesting. The third act, however, completely loses the plot, and more importantly, the tone. Suddenly, it's a big budget special effects-fest, with slow-mo action and lots of gunfire. And here you were thinking the entire budget was spent on Laurence Fishburne's salary. The movie can't even claim to have defied my expectations with its final twist, not really. And it had started so well...
The first two parts of the film (if that is a proper way of addressing them, I don't want to spoil the film so can't be more specific) are ok, good even! But after that it's all downhill, non-logical, a mess. The ending is just weird and to me it didn't explain anything or make anything clearer. Great acting however. Lawrence Fishburne is super creepy in the end.
I don't know what to think of this movie. I enjoyed it first, it felt very down-to-earth and somehow a little arty. Somewhere in the middle I was like: wow, that's cool.
The end though was really weird and dare I say, bad? The twist came too late, making it seem like the story wasn't over yet. Also, it was kind of a cheap move to make the audience take a gasp once again (not that I did). I was just confused and didn't understand the motives of the directors by creating this ending.
Another thing is that the storyline is kind of boring and practically non-existent. I don't know what to think of this movie. I think it could have been great, but just turned out to be rather skinny in every single way.
Some beautiful lasting imagery, cool concept but weak story. Much like LOVE before it. I'll keep watching his films and I'll be excited for each one as they have a lot of value in their technical execution. If only the scripts were better and the emotion as powerful as Beyond the Black Rainbow.
I had no idea what this film was about when I started watching it. Looking at the movie poster, you can assume it has something to do with SF. But I didn't expect it to be such a brilliant film. Compared with other great well known SciFi's, "The Signal" is more of a modest movie. This will probably also be due to the small budget (4 Million Dollars). But despite this small budget, this magnificent indie has some very successful moments with hallucinatory special effects.
Sometimes you watch a movie and you are wondering all the time what's actually going on. Eventually I had the same feeling as Nic (Brenton Thwaites) : groping in the dark, anxiously looking for the truth and feeling desperate. Nic was on its way to California, together with his girlfriend Haley (Olivia Cooke) and his best friend Jonah (Beau Knapp). Haley was planning to attend school in Californie. Something Nic wasn't so happy about, resulting in ending up (probably temporary) their relationship. Along the way, they are contacted by a rival hacker, Nomad, who has put them in an awkward position already before. They decide to follow his tracked signal and confront Nomad. They end up somewhere in no man's land in a dilapidated shack of a house. The next moment Nic wakes up in a kind of research center where everyone walks around in space suits. It seems like they are quarantined. He has no idea where he is, where his friends are and what is going on. He's regularly interviewed by someone named Dr. Damon Wallace (Laurence Fishburne), probably head of this facility and responsible for the investigation. To Nic's consternation Wallace announces that they are probably the victim of an EBE (Extraterrestrial Biological Entity).
Revealing more about this movie would be ridiculous. Actually, it is advisable to go and have a look at this film with as minimum information as possible. The fact that it's a low-budget film, means that the success of this film doesn't depend on the quality of SE's (though there are a few slick-looking effects), but the storyline should be highly original and ingeniously fit together. While watching "The Signal" I could predict which way it was going and where it would end up (actually there are only two options to choose from), and yet I was surprised at the denouement. Despite the unknown actors (besides Fishburne) and the fact that this is only the second film directed by Eubanks, this is still a successful and refreshing SF. Do not expect "Star Wars" situations or "Edge of Tomorrow" action parts. The entire film keeps a perfect balance between mystery, successful visual images, surprising plot twists, strong performances and masterfully applied special effects.
A brilliant, magnificent SF which is pretty captivating through its simplicity and sobriety, and continues to fascinate. Some will thoroughly hate and reject it. Others (like me) will applaud it. I would recommend every SF fan to give this low-budget a chance and after viewing it, be overwhelmed by a creative whole with admirable visualization and an oppressive atmosphere. The great mystery is resolved in the end though. But some things are not explained in detail and thus remain unanswered. This will be frustrating for some. However, I am a big fan of such movies in which there are certain developments which are open to self-interpretation. But if someone can share his opinion about the part with the cow, I'll be eternally grateful to that person .... "The Signal" will create a stir and I predict it'll receive a cult status in the SF genre. I expect great things from Eubanks in the future! Something to look forward to.
More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be
I fucking hated this movie. My roommate insisted I watch it so I stuck with it until the end. By then I was honestly screaming "just fucking end already!" at the screen as yet another extended slow motion "action" scene unfolded.
A pointless exercize in pretty cinematography, cryptic "dialogs" and futility that ends up being about a very cheap and predictable giant "twist" at the end.
Recommended only for insomniacs who might be lucky enough to fall asleep before the farce ends.
Bad scifi on all levels. Watch Primer or Another Earth for decent indie scifi instead.
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Comments 1 - 13 of 13
KuroSawWhat
What initially drew me to The Signal was its comparison to Primer--one of the most intriguing sci-fi films of the past decade--by some critics. For much of the film, that comparison is very accurate.The Signal offers a lot of the same down-to-earth realism, mystery, and low-key, drawn-out tension that made Primer such a riviting viewing experience. But then there's the last Act of the film... As much as the first 2 Acts had me completely entranced, Act 3 had me glancing at my watch. Without giving anything away, let's just say that it delves into the usual Hollywood trap of science-fiction, that offers lots of action, not much substance, and forgets all of the wonderful pacing and tension that was built up earlier in the film. Had it followed through with a consistent tone, I'd probably be recommending The Signal as a Film of the Year, because its cinematography, acting, and general concept are all fantastic and completely engrossing. But that last Act, man.... woof.
Yarnold66
An unholy mess of a film. Full of plot holes and going nowhere.Siskoid
The Signal starts out as hacker movie where the three principals are decoding messages and following a mysterious signal to its source somewhere in the desert. Apprehended by Area 51-ish personnel, the film turns into a strange, Kafkaesque prison/madhouse puzzle movie, where it's most interesting. The third act, however, completely loses the plot, and more importantly, the tone. Suddenly, it's a big budget special effects-fest, with slow-mo action and lots of gunfire. And here you were thinking the entire budget was spent on Laurence Fishburne's salary. The movie can't even claim to have defied my expectations with its final twist, not really. And it had started so well...nyrd
The first two parts of the film (if that is a proper way of addressing them, I don't want to spoil the film so can't be more specific) are ok, good even! But after that it's all downhill, non-logical, a mess. The ending is just weird and to me it didn't explain anything or make anything clearer. Great acting however. Lawrence Fishburne is super creepy in the end.E-Shark
I have a fear of Lawrence Fishburne now. 10/10 would watch again.xxNicollable
I don't know what to think of this movie. I enjoyed it first, it felt very down-to-earth and somehow a little arty. Somewhere in the middle I was like: wow, that's cool.The end though was really weird and dare I say, bad? The twist came too late, making it seem like the story wasn't over yet. Also, it was kind of a cheap move to make the audience take a gasp once again (not that I did). I was just confused and didn't understand the motives of the directors by creating this ending.
Another thing is that the storyline is kind of boring and practically non-existent. I don't know what to think of this movie. I think it could have been great, but just turned out to be rather skinny in every single way.
CSSCHNEIDER
Some beautiful lasting imagery, cool concept but weak story. Much like LOVE before it. I'll keep watching his films and I'll be excited for each one as they have a lot of value in their technical execution. If only the scripts were better and the emotion as powerful as Beyond the Black Rainbow.mightysparks
ikkegoemikke
I had no idea what this film was about when I started watching it. Looking at the movie poster, you can assume it has something to do with SF. But I didn't expect it to be such a brilliant film. Compared with other great well known SciFi's, "The Signal" is more of a modest movie. This will probably also be due to the small budget (4 Million Dollars). But despite this small budget, this magnificent indie has some very successful moments with hallucinatory special effects.
Sometimes you watch a movie and you are wondering all the time what's actually going on. Eventually I had the same feeling as Nic (Brenton Thwaites) : groping in the dark, anxiously looking for the truth and feeling desperate. Nic was on its way to California, together with his girlfriend Haley (Olivia Cooke) and his best friend Jonah (Beau Knapp). Haley was planning to attend school in Californie. Something Nic wasn't so happy about, resulting in ending up (probably temporary) their relationship. Along the way, they are contacted by a rival hacker, Nomad, who has put them in an awkward position already before. They decide to follow his tracked signal and confront Nomad. They end up somewhere in no man's land in a dilapidated shack of a house. The next moment Nic wakes up in a kind of research center where everyone walks around in space suits. It seems like they are quarantined. He has no idea where he is, where his friends are and what is going on. He's regularly interviewed by someone named Dr. Damon Wallace (Laurence Fishburne), probably head of this facility and responsible for the investigation. To Nic's consternation Wallace announces that they are probably the victim of an EBE (Extraterrestrial Biological Entity).
Revealing more about this movie would be ridiculous. Actually, it is advisable to go and have a look at this film with as minimum information as possible. The fact that it's a low-budget film, means that the success of this film doesn't depend on the quality of SE's (though there are a few slick-looking effects), but the storyline should be highly original and ingeniously fit together. While watching "The Signal" I could predict which way it was going and where it would end up (actually there are only two options to choose from), and yet I was surprised at the denouement. Despite the unknown actors (besides Fishburne) and the fact that this is only the second film directed by Eubanks, this is still a successful and refreshing SF. Do not expect "Star Wars" situations or "Edge of Tomorrow" action parts. The entire film keeps a perfect balance between mystery, successful visual images, surprising plot twists, strong performances and masterfully applied special effects.
A brilliant, magnificent SF which is pretty captivating through its simplicity and sobriety, and continues to fascinate. Some will thoroughly hate and reject it. Others (like me) will applaud it. I would recommend every SF fan to give this low-budget a chance and after viewing it, be overwhelmed by a creative whole with admirable visualization and an oppressive atmosphere. The great mystery is resolved in the end though. But some things are not explained in detail and thus remain unanswered. This will be frustrating for some. However, I am a big fan of such movies in which there are certain developments which are open to self-interpretation. But if someone can share his opinion about the part with the cow, I'll be eternally grateful to that person .... "The Signal" will create a stir and I predict it'll receive a cult status in the SF genre. I expect great things from Eubanks in the future! Something to look forward to.
More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be
ireni
booooooringbadge
A film with a message. And the message is "Hey, everybody, look at me directing!"icheckmoviesaccount
I fucking hated this movie. My roommate insisted I watch it so I stuck with it until the end. By then I was honestly screaming "just fucking end already!" at the screen as yet another extended slow motion "action" scene unfolded.BadFluffy
A pointless exercize in pretty cinematography, cryptic "dialogs" and futility that ends up being about a very cheap and predictable giant "twist" at the end.Recommended only for insomniacs who might be lucky enough to fall asleep before the farce ends.
Bad scifi on all levels. Watch Primer or Another Earth for decent indie scifi instead.