What starts as a road trip soon turns into something much less laid-back and much more mystifying in William Eubank’s enigmatic sci-fi.

Rising star Brenton Thwaites offers a solid performance, as do Olivia Cooke and Beau Knapp, but none of their characters have enough depth to truly intrigue.

This is a film of ideas, tension and tone; not character development, or even much narrative. David Lanzenberg contributes to the unsettling atmosphere with some great cinematography, as do the visual effects team with some unexpected twists, but this is definitely a case of style over substance.

The Signal is engaging, but ultimately resorts to cliché and a rug-pulling ending that will delight or infuriate. There’s an incredible short film here, but as a feature it struggles.

RATING: 3/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Brenton Thwaites, Laurence Fishburne, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp

DIRECTOR: William Eubank

WRITERS: Carlyle Eubank, William Eubank, David Frigerio

SYNOPSIS: On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.