Signal, The

What I didn't understand when I sat down to watch was that The Signal is actually three movies by three different directors. So I was frustrated and saddened by what seemed like a sudden and dramatic loss of tonal control in the film's flabby second act, which is as loose and jokey as the first act is tense and riveting. A couple of the jokes are pretty good ones (keep an eye out for a very unusual murder weapon) so I was willing to endure the antics of a few random neighbors -- the main gag has to do with a New Year's Eve party that hasn't quite been canceled due to apocalypse -- even though all I really wanted to know was the fate of poor Mya, now vanished from the narrative. She returns, sort of, in the oppressively downbeat third act, which boasts even grimier videography, nonlinear narrative gimmickry, and just about had me on the floor snoring. It's rare to see a movie go downhill this fast.



The film's trailer (above), which is a good précis on its sadly squandered potential for awesomeness, draws almost exclusively on scenes from the film's first third. On the evidence, director David Bruckner deserves the chance to do more of this. His colleagues Dan Bush and Jacob Gentry have some 'splainin to do. C+
Posted by Bryant Frazer on June 20, 2024 8:24 PM