Morpheus Sends a Signal and I Am There

I tracked down “The Signal” today at a movie theater and you may not believe what I saw. Even if you believe, you may not understand, but at least you will care.

Nic (Brenton Thwaites from “Maleficent”) and his buddy Jonah (Beau Knapp from “Super 8“) are on a road trip across the country to see Nic’s girlfriend Haley (Olivia Cooke from “The Quiet Ones”) to California. The boys were kicked out of MIT because some cat hacked the MIT server and messed up their records. On top of that, this computer wizard has been messing with them on the road.

They find the source of the signal, and take a small detour to rural Nevada to face this Internet agitator. This is when I stood up and yelled at the screen, “There are better ways to break up with your girlfriend than leaving her in the car while you go in the basement of a deserted house at the end of dirt road in the middle of the night.”

About then, this road trip takes weird left turn. They seem to be held captive and the only person who will talk to them is Morpheus, I mean Damon (Laurence Fishburne from “The Matrix”), who has more questions than answers.

I did like the whole journey of this movie, from road trip to horror moments to Kafkaesque sci-fi. I just wanted more of a payoff at the end, but I usually do. Perhaps that is when the tiny budget for this indie ran out, and I had more questions than answers. We seldom walk out of the theater today wondering what we saw and what it means.

There are some beautiful images in this movie and metaphors expressed in three dimensions and revealed with subtle plot points. Young writer/director William Eubank (“Love”) has something to say and a unique way to say it. He has earned a place on my watch list. That means I will look for his next movie, and he better watch out for me because if I meet him I am going to pin him in a corner and get some information out of him.

Don’t go to this movie expecting a non-stop thriller, but do go expecting to be confused and intrigued. I was, and for that I must give this movie 3 ½ stars out of 5. If you see William Eubank let him know that I am coming for him.

Tom Basham is an indie filmmaker. Here is a link to his movie review site:
 http://bashmovies.wordpress.com

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