Those who have a weakness for science fiction or simply for unpredictable stories should get their money’s worth with “The Signal”. Tele5 will show the film with Laurence Fishburne, among others, on 24 September 2022 at 8.15 pm.
In many science fiction films, alien and at the same time believable worlds are shown – an illusion that can quickly become very expensive to realise. Nevertheless, many filmmakers have proven in recent years that great sci-fi cinema can be created even when you only have limited funds at your disposal. Alongside “Code 8”, “Vivarium” and “Upgrade”, “The Signal” is another example.
The film, which stars Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”), Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”) and Brenton Thwaites (“Titans”), among others, cost just four million dollars to produce. By comparison, the German comedy “Fack Ju Göhte” cost the equivalent of just under five million dollars.
Tele5 will show “The Signal” today, 24 September 2022 at 8.15 pm. If you like creative science fiction – without any effects spectacle, but still with great images and original approaches to content – you should definitely get your money’s worth with this sci-fi mystery thriller. However, as the film has been approved by the FSK for viewers aged 16 and over, the prime-time broadcast is likely to be slightly cut. Definitely uncut, “The Signal” is available on DVD and Blu-ray as well as on streaming providers such as Amazon Prime Video.
WHAT “THE SIGNAL” IS ABOUT
Jonah (Beau Knapp) and Nic (Brenton Thwaites) are passionate hackers who go to the elite MIT University. In order to attend a big hacker get-together, the two of them and Nic’s girlfriend Hailey (Olivia Cooke) don’t mind travelling across the USA.
On their road trip, however, the computer enthusiasts have another goal: they want to confront a mysterious hacker named Nomad who has hacked their university’s servers and wants to frame them.
They track Nomad’s signal and believe they can turn the tables on him – but nothing happens. Instead, they end up in an abandoned house in the middle of the desert, where mysterious things are happening. And before Nic knows it, he comes to in some research facility where a man in protective gear (Lawrence Fishburne) asks him all sorts of strange questions…
EXPLOITATIVE AND ENGROSSING – WITH NARRATIVE WEAKNESSES
William Eubank already showed with his $500,000 sci-fi film “Love” that he is a genre specialist who can get by on a mini-budget. No wonder that shortly afterwards he was not only given eight times the budget, but also one or two Hollywood stars. And despite narrative weaknesses, “The Signal” also builds up an absolutely captivating atmosphere at the end, which becomes more and more intense towards the end.
In our review, author Björn Becher writes, among other things: “All in all, ‘The Signal’ is a science fiction drama well worth watching, which can best unfold its pull if the viewer knows as few details as possible about the content in advance.”
That’s why we don’t want to tell you much more about the film at this point and instead just leave you with the trailer – but beware, watch at your own risk!
