The Signal

Play trailer

The Signal

PG-13

Released Jun 13, 2014

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A surprise awaits three college students (Brenton Thwaites, Beau Knapp, Olivia Cooke) who think they have tracked a rival computer hacker to a shed in the Nevada desert.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Director William Eubank clearly has big ideas and an impressive level of technical expertise; unfortunately, The Signal fritters them away on a poorly constructed story.

Read Critics Reviews

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

It's a movie of ideas rather than spectacle (Philip K Dick's dreamy electric sheep are inevitably invoked) with some well realised visual effects (a la Ex Machina) giving it genre legs.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 29, 2015

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Sadly, this flubs the landing with a banal and credulity-stretching finale that feels like a bad Twilight Zone episode, but the first hour or so is terrific.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 26, 2015

Full Review

Sophie Monks Kaufman

Little White Lies

Pity the poor actors trapped in a cinematographer's world.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 26, 2015

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

For a movie full of surprises in its narrative, there are none beneath its surface.

Mar 4, 2021

Full Review

Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

What The Signal lacks in character development and standard plot mechanics, it more than makes up for in mood, tone, and atmosphere.

Rated: B-

Jul 7, 2020

Full Review

Julian Lytle

Punch Drunk Critics

Here is something new and original on the screen with fresh faces that didn't cost the GDP of a small country to make.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 11, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

farley p

Movies like this make me think long form media was a mistake.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

S P

One of the best Sci-Fi films out there. I'm not sure how most others find the ending "incredulous" or "unbelievable" when there aren't any plot holes at all leading up to or in or around it, but I suppose some people just lack imagination and an base understanding of what's possible in science and our lack of understanding of the universe. I'd love to hear their explanations beyond "destination sucked" and "credulity-stretching" - I have a hunch they're just frightened by the premise and don't want to admit it, or maybe don't know they're afraid? A lot of the reviews follow similar patterns to criticisms of other favorites of mine, such as the criticisms of Pandorum (scared of the ideas presented, but most likely harbor a misunderstanding of them). My #1 complaint about most fictional stories are the contradictions and gaping plot holes. This movie has very few in that regard, and as such I believe it does a top-notch job of delivering a fantastic story in a breathtaking, awe-inspiring fictional world I kind of hope is possible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

Full Review

Ross M

The journey was just barely intriguing enough to keep you watching but the destination sucked.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/07/25

Full Review

CYBER T

It was mid. While watching it I didn't quite know the direction they wanted the story to take. I really wished they empathised more the cyborg situation. If you like area 51 and alien movies, it's ok, if not, not worth it. The ending was maybe the best part. Sit back and enjoy.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/07/25

Full Review

lord b

Wow this was so bad and so low effort I am still hurting from watching it . Fishburn shold be fined for giving audience hope this was not pure schlok. Not even in zombie movie bad was is this bad its just painful.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

William Eubank

Director

Brenton Thwaites

Nic

Beau Knapp

Jonah

Olivia Cooke

Haley

Laurence Fishburne

Dr. Wallace Damon

Lin Shaye

Mirabelle

Midnight Special

83%

67%

Midnight Special

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Midnight Special

Project Almanac

38%

45%

Project Almanac

Watchlist

Super 8

81%

75%

Super 8

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Super 8

Air

17%

23%

Air

Watchlist

Rememory

25%

42%

Rememory

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Rememory

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on DVD & Blu-Ray: Neighbors, The Rover, and More

Critics Consensus: How to Train Your Dragon 2 is Certified Fresh

View more photos

Synopsis

A surprise awaits three college students (Brenton Thwaites, Beau Knapp, Olivia Cooke) who think they have tracked a rival computer hacker to a shed in the Nevada desert.

Director: William Eubank
Producer: Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Tyler Davidson
Screenwriter: William Eubank, Carlyle Eubank, David Frigerio
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Automatik, Low Spark Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements|Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 13, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 9, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $597.4K
Runtime: 1h 37m

Most Popular at Home Now