THE SIGNAL - 5/10 ( C )

Was really good at first, but got kind of stupid.

THE SIGNAL

I decided to rent this because someone had mentioned the movie when the Happening came out and so I thought to check it out and see what it's about.

I liked the idea and I really enjoyed how it began. The mood it set was very dark and menacing and scary too. Unfortunately, we end up in the second act I guess in the couple's home where Clark and Ana and Lewis are all at. Here it just gets extremely strange and very weird. I'm guessing Ana was affected by the signal but Clark wasn't and yet he lost sense of reality when his friend came over. That guy also seemed to be unaffected but had a total loss of reality I guess. That whole section was very weird and then the torture of Ana with the poison was over the top. The character of Lewis was sickening from the start even before the signal affected him. God damn, I couldn't stand that guy.

What is up with the scene where Ben appears to have smashed Lewis's head IN and yet Lewis gets back up to wreak more havoc. I didn't get that and I wasn't a fan of all these flashbacks or false sequences either.

I'd give the beginning an A but the rest a D maybe even an F.

Overall - D

B+


If you read the synopsis, you'll notice that the film's plot is a mixture of Stephen King's Cell, 28 Days Later and the Japanese Pulse (Kairo), so originality as such might seem absent. In fact, however, the main plot idea aside, the film has its share of original ideas which I cannot quite discuss here without spoiling some stuff. I know that some people here were looking forward to it as far as I know...they won't be disappointed, I think.

The movie itself is an interesting bit of filmmaking, no matter what you think of it. It consists of three segments (called Transmission I: Crazy in Love, II: The Jealousy Monster and III: Escape from Terminus), each directed by a different helmer with its own distinct style, but telling the same continuous story, just from three different viewpoints. All three are also different in quality. The first segment is severely disappointing and mostly lame, so I feared for the rest of the film. Its the part when you most notice the film's $50,000 budget. The second segment, however, rebounds big time and delivers some really great black humor and lots of splatter. That's when the film works best - in its dark, very humorous moments. The third segment is not quite as exhilarating, but with its mindfuck ending, it really gives you some food for thought by the end.