Signal, The (9/23/2014)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, violence and language.

Starring Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke and Laurence Fishburne

Directed by William Eubank

The signal is a very bizarre, very trippy science-fiction film.

Three college students on a road trip across the Southwest experience a detour: the tracking of a computer genius who has already hacked into MIT and exposed security faults. The trio find themselves drawn to an eerily isolated area. Suddenly everything goes dark. When one of the students, Nic (Brenton Thwaites), regains consciousness, he is in a waking nightmare.

So the film starts out really slow and very artsy, it transitions into the standard personal camera view (made popular by the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield) and finally we find Nic sitting in a white room with Lawrence Fishburne. If you’re thinking that it sounds like you would be halfway through the movie and still not know what’s going on, you would be incorrect. You won’t know what’s happening until the last five minutes. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to give it away.)

This is director William Eubank’s first feature film and honestly the jury is still out. It felt very first-year-film-schoolish with random close-ups and a simplistic piano driven score. I’ll definitely check out his next movie, and hopefully he will mature and grow a little before then.

The cast did a decent job, nothing that really stands out either way. But the story is really bizarre. I know I can’t give away the ending (or any of the other surprises throughout the film), but I will say the story is clever and very interesting.

The big criticism is the pace. There are times when I really wanted to turn it off, but the story made me press through.

I’m definitely glad I didn’t turn it off because the payoff at the end is worth it. I doubt I’ll ever watch The Signal again, but I’m glad I took the time to watch it and you most likely will too …but “Only If It’s Free.”

Should Kids See It?
There is no sex or nudity in the film and the language is fairly mild. There is one F-word but other than that it is very PG.

The reason behind the signal is frightening, and what happens to the three college students is definitely disturbing.

Conversation Starter:

1. If you could wake up tomorrow and have one special ability or enhancement, what would it be? Why?


2. How would you use that special ability to help others?


3. What can you do now to help others?

Read Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.


4. How can we encourage each other to help one another as well?