BLU-RAY REVIEW

Signal, The

Featured In Issue 191, November 2014

Picture4.5
Sound4
WSR Score3
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
61142783
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Some thematic elements, violence and language
(Retail Price):
$34.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
98
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2014
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
09/23/14
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
William Eubank
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

In "The Signal," Nic (Thwaites), his girlfriend Haley (Cooke), and his buddy Jonah (Knapp) take an unexpected detour from an idyllic cross-country road trip when they are contacted by a mysterious hacker who has gained entry into MIT's secured network. But after a rendezvous in an eerily remote area goes awry, Nic wakes to a living nightmare in an isolation unit. Now under interrogation by Dr. Wallace Damon (Fishburne), Nic is determined to find his friends and break free. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director/Co-Screenwriter William Eubank and Co-Screenwriters Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio, deleted/extended/althernate scenes (HD 10:07), a making-of featurette (HD 09:22), the film outtake "Brilliant!" (HD 00:17), upfront previews, BD-Live functionality, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1080p AVC picture is stylized, with emphasis on white levels, with strong contrasts that emphasize black levels. Shadow delineation is decent, with generally revealing night scenes. The interior laboratory is brightly lit with light-colored walls and equipment-filled rooms. The exterior daylight scenes are naturally rendered with accurate hues that are rich and vibrant. Fleshtones are also naturally hued. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail exhibited in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. Overall, this is an engaging, colorful visual experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is eccentric in its sci-fi characterizations, with a weird sonic character that embodies deep .1 LFE atmospherics and sound effects, coupled with an eerie music score that extends to the surrounds and provides an immersive sonic experience. The score's soundstage is projected wide and deep. Dynamics are effective, especially with the integration of sound effects and atmospherics. Dialogue sounds natural, though, at times a bit muffled and unintelligible. This is an engaging sonic experience, with an aggressive holosonic® soundfield projection. (Gary Reber)