Signal One has some big ideas, but this sci-fi throwback that lifts liberally from the Robert Zemekis classic Contact fails to convince despite some stellar performances. Dennis Quaid is onboard as tech billionaire Sam Houston, giving this Signature Entertainment release instant gravitas, even if Isabelle Fuhrman’s Annika struggles with a premise audiences have seen before.
Reclusive genius Professor Glassner has built an antenna to communicate across space time. Where Annika comes into his equation is rarely expanded on, while writer-director Jonathan Sobol distracts with stunning tropical locations. Reams of tech-talk and some twitchy character traits from David Thewlis as Glassner might make Signal One worth watching, but too often this feels like familiar ground.
Thankfully, no one in this ensemble cast phones in their performance, adding welcome substance to a movie that almost gets away with it. At this point in his career Dennis Quaid could be forgiven for being a paycheque player, simply there to take the money and run. Instead, what his character does is open an essential conversation around AI that adds another layer.
Elsewhere, Josh Hutcherson, best known for his time on The Hunger Games puts in some solid support as Charlie, another expert shipped in by Houston to move things again. The low-key chemistry between himself and Isabelle Fuhrman takes the edge off a film that might have been weighed down by its own lofty ideals.
Image Courtesy of Signature Entertainment
With Disclosure Day imminent and Interstellar on re-release alongside it, audiences will soon be spoiled for science fiction choice, while Signal One quietly benefits by association. For audiences after something without the emotional heft of a Nolan or spectacle from Spielberg this film will certainly tick a few boxes. It hints at the existence of intelligent life on other planets without a production budget to back it up but comes equipped with conversations worth considering.
This is the saving grace of Signal One that makes it worthwhile for audiences. With actors in his arsenal like David Thewlis and Dennis Quaid, writer-director Jonathan Sobol can sell ice to eskimos as the saying goes. There is a reason why these actors have endured in an industry renowned for being fickle, and this sci-fi staple stays the right side of stereotype because of them.
Why exactly Signal One misses the mark is a mystery, because all the elements are there to create something special. Alien connections, a tortured genius with delusions of grandeur, and a tech billionaire brandishing his own Messiah complex. As a warm-up act for Disclosure Day or the evergreen Interstellar there are worse ways to spend two hours, but as a double bill flanked by Contact audiences might just be tempted.
Signal One in cinemas and on demand June 5th from Signature Entertainment.