DVD: ‘The Signal’ gets a little weak

the signal
The Signal stars Laurence Fishburne

Hackers. Aliens. Road trip. Young love. The Signal, a sci-fi flick from earlier this year that received middling (at best) reviews, has it all. Almost. Three college students – a boyfriend (Brenton Thwaites), a girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) and a third wheel (Beau Knapp) – are driving across the Southwest (think Area 51!) when they seem to encounter a hacker who bedeviled them back at MIT. Of course, even though they are in the middle of nowhere, they attempt to find the mysterious NOMAD, and get into even bigger trouble. Laurence Fishburne provides all that trouble. The Signal smacks of The X-Files, but without its sometimes-sly sense of humor.