Many science fiction films show strange but believable worlds – an illusion that quickly becomes very expensive to realize. Nevertheless, many filmmakers have proven in recent years that great science fiction films can be made even with limited resources. In addition to “Code 8”, “Vivarium” and “Upgrade”, “The Signal” is also an example.
The film, which stars Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”), Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”) and Brenton Thwaites (“Titans”), cost just $4 million to produce. By comparison, the German comedy “Fack Ju Göhte” cost the equivalent of almost $5 million.
Tele5 will show ‘The Signal’ today, October 24, 2022 at 8:15 PM. There will be a repeat that same evening at 2:10 am. Anyone who likes creative science fiction – without special effects, but still with great images and an original approach to content – will definitely enjoy the science fiction mystery thriller. Since the film has been approved by the FSK for children aged 16 and over, the prime time broadcast will likely be somewhat edited. ‘The Signal’ is certainly available in full on DVD and Blu-ray, but also on streaming providers such as Amazon Prime Video.
That’s what ‘The Signal’ is about
Jonah (Beau Knapp) and Nic (Brenton Thwaites) are passionate hackers who attend the elite MIT University. To participate in a large hacker meeting, the two and Nic’s girlfriend Hailey (Olivia Cooke) don’t have to travel far across the US.
However, the computer enthusiasts have another goal during their road trip: they want to confront a mysterious hacker named Nomad, who has hacked into their university’s servers and wants to frame them.
They follow Nomad’s signal and think they can turn the tables, but nothing happens. Instead, they end up in an abandoned house in the middle of the desert, where mysterious things happen. And before Nic knows it, he finds himself in a research facility where a man in protective gear (Lawrence Fishburne) asks him a bunch of strange questions…
Twisty and compelling – with narrative weaknesses
William Eubank already showed with his $500,000 science fiction film ‘Love’ that he is a genre specialist who can make ends meet on a mini budget. No wonder that shortly afterwards he not only received eight times the budget, but also one or two Hollywood stars. And ‘The Signal’ also builds up an absolutely fascinating atmosphere at the end, despite its narrative weaknesses, which become increasingly intense towards the end.
In the FILMSTARTS review, author Björn Becher writes, among other things: “Overall, ‘The Signal’ is a science fiction drama that is worth seeing and can best develop its appeal if the viewer knows as few details of the content as possible in advance.”