The Signal

Today on The Redbox Report, we review The Signal, a sci-fi thriller starring the ever-so-stern Laurence Fishburne and newcomer, Brenton Thwaites.

The story picks up with college computer geniuses Nic Eastman, played by Thwaites, and Jonah Breck, played by Beau Knapp, as they match wits with a mysterious hacker named Nomad.

Drawn to the sheer malevolence and somewhat toying nature of Nomad, the boys set sail to track down the elusive hacker’s signal. In tow, and catching a ride to college, was Eastman’s girlfriend, Haley Peterson, played by Olivia Cooke.

The three find the signal’s source at 3am in an abandoned, creepy shack in the middle of nowhere, of course. As most young white teenagers do in movies, they decided to pop in and see what was going on. Needless to say, nothing good came out it. After a lot of rustling, and Haley Peterson getting swept up in the air, the screen goes black, and then. Nothing.

The three end up in what appears to be a government facility. White walls, white everything. Eastman wakes up, clearly wondering where he was, asking questions, but getting nothing in return. In enters Dr.Wallace Damon, played by Fishburne. Donning an all-white hazmat-style suit, he explains that the three adventurous teens had experienced contact with alien life and were being held for evaluation.

With every passing minute, things get weirder and more creepy at the facility. Eastman tries to escape several times with no success, and with each failed attempt, the reality of the situation becomes more and more clear.He was a prisoner, not a patient.

Some might call The Signal a dry movie with no direction, but I found it entertaining in an eerie kind of way. I’ve also heard that the ending was anti-climactic, but again, you have to look at the film as a whole. The tone was set for the ending throughout the movie, and it was an appropriate conclusion to an overall weird movie.

Fishburne played his role to perfection, an understanding, yet deviant doctor with not so great intentions. Fear him, and fear what he’s capable of.

There’s also a pretty epic fight scene that simply can’t be missed.

Check out The Signal on Redbox.