Rated
PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements, Violence and Language)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 37 Minutes
Cast-
Brenton
Thwaites-Nic Eastman
Olivia
Cooke-Haley Peterson
Beau
Knapp-Jonah Breck
Laurence
Fishburne-Dr. Wallace Damon
Lin
Shaye-Mirabelle
Robert
Longstreet-James
Roy
Kenny-Hazmat 1
Timothy
Holmes-Hazmat 2
Ricardo
Campos-Hazmat 3
Drew
Sykes-Hazmat 4
Jeffrey
Grover-Gas Station Clerk
Patrick
Davidson-Boy Playing Claw Game
Directed
by William Eubank
 |
| It doesn't live up to its potential but William Eubank's "The Signal" remains a gorgeous film to behold. |
Note: Screened on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at AMC Empire 25. There are spoilers within this review.
William
Eubank's latest film "The Signal" desperately wants to leave the audience
feeling 'agitated' with its "Twilight Zone"-style storytelling but
once the 'big twist' is revealed and the end credits begin to roll, you're likely
going to be left feeling baffled, frustrated, and maybe even a little angry.
Original science fiction films—characterized by think-pieces like Jonathan Glazer's
brilliantly-made "Under the Skin"—are something of a rarity nowadays,
having been largely subsumed by mindless, effects-driven blockbusters like Michael
Bay's upcoming "Transformers: Age of Extinction." Occasionally, a talented
director is able to strike a balance, satisfying the studio's blockbuster sensibilities
while not betraying his or her own artistic integrity. A perfect example of
this would be Christopher Nolan, the British auteur who thrilled and confounded
viewers with 2010's "Inception," and he's about to do it again with
November's highly-anticipated "Interstellar." Eubank isn't Nolan but
the up-and-coming director—who made his feature debut with the 2011 sci-fi drama
"Love"—is certainly no less talented behind the camera. Unfortunately,
his screenwriting skills leave a lot to be desired. Despite its atmospheric and
moody visuals, Eubank's "The Signal" ultimately fails to make much of
an impact, with its ambitious script devolving into sci-fi silliness and finally
closing with a shrug-worthy reveal.
MIT
student Nic Eastman (Brenton Thwaites)—a bright young man suffering from the early
stages of multiple sclerosis—is driving his girlfriend Haley Peterson (Olivia
Cooke) to Pasadena, California as she is transferring to Caltech. Tagging along
on the trip is Nic's best friend and fellow computer wizard Jonah Breck (Beau Knapp),
who is working with Nic to track down a mysterious hacker known as 'NOMAD,' responsible
for the infiltration and destruction of several of MIT's servers. Nic is none
too happy about Haley moving away and he decides to end their passionate but embattled
relationship during the trip. When the breakup doesn't go down smoothly, Jonah appeals
to his friend's bruised confidence and renews his focus on finding NOMAD. The
two manage to pinpoint the hacker to a dilapidated shack in the middle of the
Nevada desert. Nic and Jonah investigate the shack while Haley waits in the car.
However, the two friends rush back outside when they hear Haley suddenly scream.
An unseen force plucks her out of the air but before Nic and Jonah can do anything
about it, they are knocked unconscious. Nic awakens in a sterile facility, dressed
in a white hospital gown and unable to feel his legs. The hazmat suit-wearing
staff wheel Nic to a secure room, where he is questioned by a Dr. Wallace Damon
(Laurence Fishburne), who reveals little in the way of cohesive information.
Growing frustrated and increasingly desperate, Nic hatches an escape plan but discovers
that not all is what it seems.
"The
Signal" is one of those twisty sci-fi films that slowly build themselves up
to a massive reveal. Unfortunately, said reveal ends up inviting shrugs rather
than shock or surprise, with hardcore sci-fi fans likely figuring out the
'twist' long before the film is over. At its core, this is an alien abduction picture,
which is a subgenre I'm incredibly fond of but Eubank's script—co-written with
his brother Carlyle and David Frigerio—is too underdeveloped and it's never
entirely clear what point he's trying to make. In fact, the whole affair feels
more like a demo reel, a résumé submission to movie executives showcasing the director's
ability to build worlds and work with visual/special effects. I'll give credit
where it's due: "The Signal" does look spectacular, with Eubank and
cinematographer David Lanzenberg taking full advantage of shooting on-location
in New Mexico to create a bizarrely beautiful yet foreboding atmosphere of paranoia.
Despite its tiny $4 million production budget, the visual effects and prosthetics
work from Legacy (formerly the Stan Winston Studio) are quite good and hold up
to close scrutiny. Nima Fakhrara's score is appropriately moody. If nothing
else, "The Signal" proves that Eubank has a bright future working in
the big leagues…but only if he is paired with stronger material.
 |
| "R U Agitated?" |
Although
this is ostensibly a sci-fi thriller, "The Signal" does feature some
horror elements. Nic and Jonah's investigation of NOMAD's shack briefly skirts
with found-footage territory and conjures up a nice sense of dread but the film
takes a turn for the worse once it begins dabbling in body horror. It is eventually
revealed that the reason Nic can't feel his legs is because they've been replaced
with bionic ones, turning him into something along the lines of the 'Six
Billion Dollar Teen.' More silliness ensues once Jonah reunites with his friends
(how he escaped from the facility is barely elaborated on) while sporting a pair
of bionic arms, leading to a ridiculously cheesy 'HULK SMASH' moment. The latter
half of "The Signal" is spent with Nic and Haley on the run from Damon
and his omnipresent military forces. Flashbacks are shown of the couple during happier
times but they offer nothing for viewers to latch onto besides some more pretty
imagery. In a recent interview with Topless
Robot, Eubank mentions that the story is 'about choices and…what drives
somebody—the decisions we make, whether we make them based off of thinking logically
or thinking emotionally.' Although I can see glimmers of this on-screen, it just
feels too vague and undercooked to have the impact Eubank is going for. The
central mystery is at least mildly engaging, keeping the picture from becoming a
total disaster. However, too much is frustratingly left up to the audience to
fill in the gaps while the narrative's many loose ends—such as a strange
experiment involving a cow—suggest key scenes were discarded on the cutting
room floor.
The
cast is largely composed of young up-and-comers. Brenton Thwaites acquits
himself admirably as Nic and does a fine job conveying his character's fear,
rage, and increasing sense of paranoia. The Australian actor has been quite
prolific this year, having starred in the low-budget horror flick
"Oculus" back in April and having a minor part in Disney's "Maleficent"
last month. Thwaites is set to appear this August in the lead role in Phillip
Noyce's big-screen adaptation of Lois Lowry's 1993 young adult novel The Giver. As Nic's best friend Jonah, Beau
Knapp's character is a genre cliché but he remains a nice foil to Thwaites with
his slightly nervous demeanor. Olivia Cooke is unfortunately wasted on a
go-nowhere role that finds her confined to a hospital bed for long stretches of
the film. The standout is by far Laurence Fishburne, whose immaculately unnerving
way of speaking makes for some of the best moments in "The Signal." Eubank
was lucky to snag such a well-known actor. Lin Shaye (from the
"Insidious" films) also pops up as a creepy character that crosses
paths with Nic and Haley.
Given
a limited release on June 13, 2014, "The Signal" has received largely
mixed reviews with 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that Eubank 'clearly
has big ideas and an impressive level of technical expertise; unfortunately, [he]
fritters them away on a poorly constructed story. The audience reacted negatively
to the film at the advance screening, with many baffled at the ending. It subsequently
failed to gain much traction at the box office, grossing a paltry $155,642 at
120 venues. Now, I don't mind sci-fi films that are abstract in their meaning
and themes. In fact, I quite enjoy watching them but beyond the central mystery,
"The Signal" has very little going on beneath the surface. Eubank shows
enormous potential with his work here, which makes it all the more disheartening
to report that his sophomore effort is such a disappointment. Hopefully, his
next feature is more developed script-wise.
Final
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
"As
advanced as we are, it’s amazing that we still have use for something as crude
as a pen."
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