The Signal

There’s plenty of style but not as much substance in The Signal, a low-budget science-fiction thriller that can be admired more for its effort than its execution.

It could become a calling card of sorts for director William Eubank, who effectively infuses his oddball vision with a frightening concept that ultimately fails to sustain its level of suspense. Still, the film gets under the skin sporadically, and at least has a certain degree of audacity.

As the story opens, Nic (Brenton Thwaites) is an MIT student enjoyed some online banter with a persistent hacker known as Nomad. Later, he takes a road trip with his best friend (Beau Knapp) and his girlfriend (Olivia Cooke), detouring to a rural shack where he’s convinced Nomad is hiding out.

The resulting investigation leads them into supernatural territory when the trio is abducted and thrust into unconsciousness. Nic awakens in a hospital-style bunker operated by a doctor (Laurence Fishburne) who gives only vague clues about his whereabouts or what happened to cause paralysis in his legs. Nic is skeptical of the explanation, and realizes escape might be his only hope for survival.

The film gradually reveals clues about the protagonist and his plight, even though the exact time and place of its setting remain ambiguous. As the mystery deepens, Nic becomes more frustrated and desperate.

The Signal feels like a project made by geeks, for geeks, granting hero status to a pair of computer hackers. At first, it tries to prey upon common fears of the unknown. Thwaites (Maleficent) is appealing as a smart and resourceful character with a disability that’s never fully explained.

While the material has plenty of visual flair and develops some powerful imagery, the muddled screenplay by Eubank and two others isn’t as polished. The deliberately paced film combines clichés from different genres into a fresh package, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re still clichés. Perhaps the idea would work better as a short.

Despite some scattered scenes of inspired weirdness, the film winds up more heavy-handed than provocative. By the time of its big reveal, most viewers will likely have cashed in their emotional investment, rendering The Signal a ho-hum head trip.

Rated PG-13, 95 minutes.