The Signal

Name: The Signal
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Released: June 13, 2014
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 54
Cast: Beau Knapp, Brenton Thwaites, Laurence Fishburne, Lin Shaye, Olivia Cooke

2014

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 106 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 106 Ratings

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The Signal

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Movie Details & Credits

Focus Features | Release Date: June 13, 2014 | PG-13

Starring: Beau Knapp, Brenton Thwaites, Laurence Fishburne, Lin Shaye, Olivia Cooke

Summary: 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, heThree 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.… Expand

Director: William Eubank

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 97 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Empire Kim Newman

Mar 23, 2015

William Eubank continues to work his particular mind-stretching mix of acute character interplay and cosmic conceptual breakthrough. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Jun 12, 2014

It's more heavy lifting than some will be willing to engage in but there's something welcome about a motion picture that doesn't hand out a dumbed-down resolution in a neatly wrapped package. Read full review

Robert Abele

Jun 18, 2014

Eubank's fizzy mix of self-conscious, set-piece image-making and small-scale human detail is admirable. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jun 12, 2014

Acting (and story) take a back seat to the visual display. Eubank shows confidence with each shot, whether it takes place in a desert vista or a clinical government slab. What's it all mean? It's unclear, except meaning that Eubank is a talent to watch. Read full review

Bilge Ebiri

Jun 16, 2014

You spend a lot of the movie confused, but the great big reveals of its finale don’t feel very shocking at all. Yet it’s not a complete wash and, given the circumstances, that feels like an accomplishment. Read full review

Ed Gonzalez

May 28, 2014

The titular signal refers to the Nomad hacker's taunts, though it may as well point to the film's nature as a self-styled calling card. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Jun 12, 2014

The Signal starts off as an alien version of "Blair Witch Project" and then drifts off into cold plotlessness. But for a while, a little while, it seems like it just might be interesting. Read full review

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User Reviews

Patrick94

Jan 26, 2015

I don't understand the negativity towards this movie. Maybe people are just too dumb to appreciate it? Maybe they think William Eubank had 200 million dollars at his disposal and thought he could have done more with it? (BTW he only had 4 million. Yes, he made this amazing film with just 4I don't understand the negativity towards this movie. Maybe people are just too dumb to appreciate it? Maybe they think William Eubank had 200 million dollars at his disposal and thought he could have done more with it? (BTW he only had 4 million. Yes, he made this amazing film with just 4 million dollars, while people like Marc Webb and Shane Black are shoving piles of crap down our throats that took them 200 million to make). So bravo to you William Eubank, you are a true artist, and I appreciate your work. Hopefully we can see a sequel to this in the near future.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

hapycampr2002

Dec 26, 2014

What do I say about this movie that will make any sense at all? I've read a review that it is easy to correctly guess the ending before actually coming to it, but I did not find that to be the case. Perhaps it's because I didn't want to look to closely for fear that it would ruin myWhat do I say about this movie that will make any sense at all? I've read a review that it is easy to correctly guess the ending before actually coming to it, but I did not find that to be the case. Perhaps it's because I didn't want to look to closely for fear that it would ruin my enjoyment of the film. Despite myself, I was entertained watching it. It's pace is a bit methodical, deliberate...I'm trying not to use the word "slow." I can respond to a slow movies if there is enough to keep me interested, and there was enough to seduce me. I feel like, upon retrospection, the director was toying with how far he could take this movie out of the realm of reality or possibility and still hold the audience. He held me to the end. Hallelujah. But he didn't hold my attention on the strength of the "plot" or narrative. He took me there on the shoulders of good acting, (spotty) suspense. and beautiful cinematography. I'd have to be selective to whom I would recommend this movie. To those who don't need things blowing up or women and children in jeopardy every 5 minutes, or those who feel that Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Robert Pattinson are not actually ACTING, I would recommend it. Postscript: I actually have liked quite a few of the movies that 2 out of the aforementioned "actors" have starred in.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

analogkid280

Jun 24, 2014

Somewhat nonsensical with nothing revealed till the last little bit of the movie. It has some good ideas in it though they are hidden in this art house movie like little gems in a winding trail. Being an old Matrix fan I have a soft spot in me certainly for Fishburne doing his best MorpheusSomewhat nonsensical with nothing revealed till the last little bit of the movie. It has some good ideas in it though they are hidden in this art house movie like little gems in a winding trail. Being an old Matrix fan I have a soft spot in me certainly for Fishburne doing his best Morpheus impersonation for a good hour or so of this movie. It is something different that is for sure, and in the middle of summer releases it is pleasant to have something with a different flavor.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

Bikerjames

Dec 14, 2015

First, I enjoyed the performances. After the kids wake up mysteriously in some kind of hospital environment, it has a nice creepiness where you're trying to figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, due to Fishburne's weird personality I guessed what was going on too soon, and the endingFirst, I enjoyed the performances. After the kids wake up mysteriously in some kind of hospital environment, it has a nice creepiness where you're trying to figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, due to Fishburne's weird personality I guessed what was going on too soon, and the ending shocked me because it was completely stolen from one of my all time favorite movies (Dark City), which is a far superior film. Not a horrible film, but unoriginal. I recommend you rent Dark City and watch it instead.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Tss5078

Jul 23, 2018

By it's very nature, science fiction is going to be unusual, confusing, and sometimes just plain weird. When it's done correctly, that can be a very good thing, but when it's not done the right way, audiences are left confused and annoyed. In 2014's The Signal, three friends are on a roadBy it's very nature, science fiction is going to be unusual, confusing, and sometimes just plain weird. When it's done correctly, that can be a very good thing, but when it's not done the right way, audiences are left confused and annoyed. In 2014's The Signal, three friends are on a road trip, headed back to school for another semester of higher education. To their disbelief, a hacker who had been bothering them for months is still at it and is making things personal. Nic, Haley, and Jonah have some tricks of their own and ultimately track down the hackers address. To no ones surprise, it's on their way to school and they decide to pay them a visit. What should have been a fun moment, turned into something more sinister, when a deadly scream leads to darkness, and Nic (Brenton Thwaits) winds up in a quarantined hospital with no memory of what happened that night. I enjoyed the premise of this movie and as far as story goes, the idea wasn't all that terrible, what was terrible was the way in which it was presented. This buddy road trip film ends up in a hospital, where the friends are held for way too long. The hospital scenes are just strange, unexplained, and kill the movies momentum. Towards the end there are some better scenes, hinting that the film may be building up to an epic conclusion, but it's just more of the same, as things take an even stranger turn, and an anti-climatic one at that. As for the stars of the film, Laurence Fishburn gives yet another flat robotic performance. Morpheus was the perfect character for this guy, but he never seemed to be able to leave him behind, and now plays this same role in every film. On the other side, Brenton Thwaites, somewhat known for his breakout performance in The Giver, made this film for me. He was enigmatic, on target, and just fun to watch. I said it in my review of the Giver and I'll say it agin, this kid is going places. The Signal had all the ingredients for a great science fiction film, but when the cake was done it didn't taste so good. Most of the acting was flat, the story went off in too many different directions, and it was frequently anti-climatic.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ozymandias79

Nov 28, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good movies don't need a point but bad movies without a point are f****** pointless. Morpheus...ahhh...I mean Laurence Fishburne plays a face attached to some wires in a movie that is supposed to have a shock ending but was so completely nonsensical that it almost makes you laugh. It gets a 2 for Olivia Cooke and a 1 for almost passable special effects.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

voiders

Jun 18, 2016

Horrible movie. The sctipt is awlful and pointless. Bad from beginning to the end. First of all, IP doesn't show where prople are with precision of meters. It's a offense to us. Second, has bad sountrack all the time. And to finish, horrible end, horrible actors, alot of dramaHorrible movie. The sctipt is awlful and pointless. Bad from beginning to the end. First of all, IP doesn't show where prople are with precision of meters. It's a offense to us. Second, has bad sountrack all the time. And to finish, horrible end, horrible actors, alot of drama with no point. The "punch" at the end and all drama of the boy running make me laugh. One of the worst movie that I ever seen.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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