Kernel Rating (out of 5): 
MPAA Rating: PG-13 Length: 97 minutes
Age Appropriate For: 13+. Some cursing and violence in the form of trapped prisoners trying to escape a sterile, creepy facility, and a story that incorporates superhero and extraterrestrial elements, as well as what seems like a government conspiracy. Nothing gory or grotesque.
‘The Signal’ tries to be too many things—superhero origin story, government conspiracy, extraterrestrial bonanza—and ends up with half-baked ideas and an infuriating final twist. It’s visually impressive and thematically inane.
By Roxana Hadadi
Chances are that you haven’t heard of “The Signal,” the sci-fi film from director William Eubank. The film was picked up after premiering at Sundance Film Festival, but with only one recognizable star—Laurence Fishburne, in a pivotal role—the marketing push hasn’t been that heavy. But perhaps that’s because the film relies on one final twist to give itself any meaning, and to advertise the film would ruin that conclusion? And perhaps because the final twist basically ruins the whole film? Yeah, basically that.
