"Signal" - reviews. "Signal": summary, actors

The film "Signal" (2014), reviews of which can easily be found, is a tape in the genre of a fantasy thriller, released in the US on January 20 this year. Its director was William Eubank, in the coin box of which there is already a film project called "Love", also related to the theme of adventure in space. Despite the participation in the picture of Lawrence Fishburne, the star of the "Matrix", the reviews of the film "Signal" were mixed both from viewers and film critics.

Creators of the tape

William Eubank acted as both a screenwriter and a director of the film, as he did earlier in his debut film "Love". Before Yubank began to try himself in directing, he worked as a cameraman for a long time (short films Hooked 2006 and First 2007, films Under the Crossfire 2010, House of the Rising Sun 2010 and "Passionate desire" 2012). In addition, in some paintings, he acted as a producer, artist and editor.

The second film of Eubank "Signal" was released by Entertainment One and Focus Features. As producers, Tyler Davidson ("Kings of the Summer" 2013) and Brian Cavana-Jones ("Shelter" 2011) were brought in. The film's cameraman, David Lantsenberg, before he got into the "Signal" film crew, had no experience in big cinema and participated only in short films.

But about the musical accompaniment of the film, on which the composer Nima Fahrar worked, the director of the film Eubank tells with a special enthusiasm: according to him, Fakhrara himself made the instruments on which the music was performed.

"Signal": a summary

Three young people - Nick, John and their girlfriend Haley - are expelled from MIT for sabotage. The friends were accused of allegedly hacking the University's server and causing irreparable damage to the database. However, Nick, John, and Haley figured out the real culprit - there was no Nood Hacker. Moreover, when they returned home to California, the enigmatic Nomad contacted them and continued to press the situation, then sending mocking messages, then connecting to the webcam of the laptop Haley.

John and Nick decide to teach the unknown, calculate his IP and go to the specified address, but they find only the old abandoned building. While they inspect it, someone attacks their friend Haley, waiting for friends outside. Hearing her screams, Nick and John run out into the street, but in the dark nothing can be disassembled and they lose consciousness from shock.

Then Nick comes to his senses and realizes that he is in some unusual research laboratory. Dr. William Damon asks the young man strange, sometimes stupid questions, conducts experiments on him, refuses to disclose information about his friends. Once Nick manages to see which part of the building is Hayley - the girl was in a coma. Nick plans to escape, trying to release at the same time and a friend, but it all ends in failure.

Waking up with her in one room, Nick discovers that instead of the legs he was implanted with ultramodern prostheses. He again makes an attempt to escape along with Haley - this time successfully. However, the world in which they ended up looks somewhat unnatural. Nick discovers that he can develop supersonic speed on his new prostheses. He is hiding with Haley in an abandoned house, where he accidentally discovers John, who also fell victim to the experiment: instead of the hands of a young man installed super-strong cybernetic devices.

First John and Nick assume that they are in a virtual world, developed at Zone 51 - the famous US military base. Friends make the decision to move forward on the only existing in this virtual world road, but there they are waiting for an ambush. Wounded John remains at one of the roadblocks to allow his friends to move forward unhindered. Nick and Haley go further, but, trying to break through the road blockade of policemen, turn over on their truck.

Hayley is immediately taken away by helicopter, and Dr. Damon finally directly tells Nick that he participated in a unique experiment and became an exemplary creation of extraterrestrial civilization - a creature in which cybernetic power is combined with human emotion. Nick, not wanting to lose sight of Haley, chases the helicopter, but as a result breaks through the "screen" and turns out to be quite another world. And this world is located on a spaceship that is heading toward an unknown planet.

Director's intention

William Eubank argues that the creation of such a scenario was inspired by the television project "Twilight Zone" in 1983. This is especially true of the end-turn involved in the film "Signal" (2014), the reviews about which were rather negative, because the viewer did not see a clear outcome of the story.

However, William Eubank in the interview argues that just the denouement in this picture is not so important. The main thing is to follow the path of spiritual formation of Nick, who suddenly opens up in an extraordinary situation and turns from an ordinary guy into a real hero, ready to stand up for himself and his friends.

Cast

Actors Brenton Twates (Nick Eastman) and Lawrence Fishburne (Dr. Damon) performed the main roles in the film "Signal".

Brenton Tweites is better known as a participant in the film projects "Blue Lagoon" (2012) and "Maleficent" (2014). In both paintings he embodied an image of an irresistible handsome man, the so-called hero-lover. Therefore, the role of Nick Eastman can be called an attempt to change for the time role and try something new.

The most successful work of Lawrence Fishburne is the role of Morpheus in the sensational "Matrix". In The Signal, Fishburn's character, Damon is also a laconic, focused on his task and mysterious, like the cult Morpheus. In fact, nothing new has brought the actor into the new image.

In addition, the film featured a young actress Olivia Cook (series "Motel Bates" 2013) and actor Bo Napp ("No one survived" 2012).

Premieres

January 20, 2014 painting "Signal" was presented at the Sundance Film Festival in the States. Almost six months later she was shown at the International Film Festival in Seattle, and only June 13 she went on a rental. In July, the inhabitants of Germany and South Korea could see the tape, and in August the film was shown in Slovenia, Malaysia and the Philippines. In Russia, the premiere took place in September, almost 189,000 spectators came to see it. Approximately at the same time, "Signal" was seen by Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Then the picture was shown in Canada, Sweden, Lebanon, South Africa, Spain and, finally, Great Britain.

Budget

Despite the fact that "Signal" reviews from Russian critics received negative, box office in the US were $ 70 thousand less than in Russia. One way or another, the picture did not pay off, because with a budget of $ 4 million it was possible to collect only 2 million.

Ratings

Thriller "Signal" (2014) reviewed the visitors of the well-known site IMDb with a rating of 6.20. Of the total number of reviews written for the film around the world, only 56% positive, in Russia - about 30%.

"Signal": reviews

Professional film critics put a big plus to the director for the fact that with a small budget he managed to achieve a good level of special effects and computer graphics. But you can enjoy them only for a few minutes before the end of the film.

The film "Signal" reviews viewers receives about the following: they note that too long plotting from the very beginning extinguishes interest in what is happening on the screen. Only on the 25th minute of the film Nick and his friends get into the mysterious research center, in fact, then there is at least some intrigue. That is, if you want, you can rewind the movie for half an hour, and the essence will not change much.

Then, one after another, some mysterious events begin to occur, and it is not entirely clear to what this all leads. It seems that when the denouement comes, the viewer will discover something incredible, a powerful point in the development of the plot and begs. She could save the film. But the director does not put an end, but only opens the beginning of a new story: here Nick escaped from virtual reality, he flies on a spaceship somewhere. And there are still a lot of questions. And what will happen next with Nick, will he come up with a scrap from these events, and where is actually hidden Hayley and John, were they real during the whole film or on the spaceship originally only got Nick?

In a word, there are no answers, and the viewer has to come up with an end on his own. However, it is unlikely that fans of thrillers buy movie tickets and wait tensely for 90 minutes of denouement in order to later remain with nothing. So the film "Signal" reviews controversial deserved it is not completely thoughtful plot. Perhaps, very superficial images of characters.

Interesting Facts

The film "Signal" (2014) reviews about the finale is very controversial, although the climax was shot in one of the most picturesque places in the US. Eubank shot interchanges moved to a huge bridge 172 meters high, located in the state of New Mexico.

But on the part of the musical design, the film "Signal" received enthusiastic, first of all from the director himself. Above the soundtrack worked composer Nima Fakhrara, who specifically designed to sound the tape and create the right atmosphere, developed several unique, experimental instruments.

In conclusion, I want to say that every tape, of course, has its own viewer. But if you like more dynamic pictures with clear finals, then it's better to prefer another thriller.