The Signal tells the story of a young guy who found himself in some kind of research facility after having a terrifying experience in an isolated area in a desert with his two friends. The main character Nic, played by Brenton Thwaites, must figure things out as he was being examined by the main scientist, Damon (played by Laurence Fishburne) and find a way to escape the facility with his two friends Haley (Olivia Cooke) and Jonah (Beau Knapp). What is actually going on? Why are they being quarantined in the facility? What happened to them that night at the desert?
In the beginning, it seems like The Signal is a simple movie story-wise with three friends quarantined after a horrifying encounter with some kind of extra-terrestrial entity. But as the movie progresses, the story became more complex and a little bit confusing. I'm not a fan of confusing plot but luckily I still enjoy the storyline for what it is despite having not fully understand what certain scenes and plot trying to convey to me. You don't need to understand everything to enjoy the movie and I do like it, it's enjoyable and leave me with something to think about as I left the cinema hall. I enjoy the twists and turns that the movie have and I must say I was quite surprised by them as I didn't see them coming. Having said that, this film is not as complicated as I made it sound, those with keen eyes may see through the plot with all the clues given throughout the movie.
I also like how the film was shot. This is only the second movie directed by William Eubank who had previously worked mainly as cinematographer before. So I think that was why the film was beautiful to look at; beautiful scenery, interesting angles and close-up shots of the characters. The visual effects, although not many and mainly used at the end of the movie during its climax, were also being put to good use. It's surprising how visually stunning this movie is despite being a low-budget movie.
Brenton Thwaites as the central character did a pretty good job in portraying his character. Wait...no, he was not just good, he was actually amazing in this movie. His performance was one of the great things for me personally from this movie. As The Signal has a unique story-telling technique that was non-traditional with clips of happy memories from Nic intertwines with the main storyline of him being held in the research facility, his performance was what the audience can depend on to truly relate to his character. His happiness, his confusion, his desperation; while the non-traditional story-telling style might make audiences confused, it was Brenton's performances that saved the plot from losing its focus and grab audiences' attention back to its characters.
The rest of the cast did pretty well too. I was impressed with Beau Knapp who played Jonah. Despite not having as many screen time as Brenton Thwaites, he still managed to give stunning performance especially near the end of the movie where he went all crazy with the people who tried to get them back into the facility. Another cast member that needs special mentioning here is Lin Shaye as Mirabelle. She was just a minor character in the movie but it was entertaining to see her on screen nevertheless.
I really like The Signal a lot. The story is good, need to be dissected and analize but still enjoyable nonetheless; the movie is beautiful to look at with wonderful scenery and interesting shots; the casts give great performances especially by Brenton Thwaites who played the main protagonist; and the special effects, understandably far and few in between but executed well when it was used. I must say I was quite surprised at how much I really liked it. If you like sci-fi movie but with lots of drama and a little something to think about when it comes to the plot, then this movie is recommended for you. If you like action packed sci-fi movie, then you might want to skip this. But if you willing to give this movie a try, then maybe it might surprise you.
4 stars out of 5 from me for The Signal.
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