MovieChat Forums > The Signal (2008) Discussion > Why do people enjoy movies that don't ma...

Why do people enjoy movies that don't make sense?

posted 12 years ago by andrewshor
24 replies | jump to latest

I've just watched the movie and I'm surprised by how many positive reviews it has on IMDb. It seems to me that there's a lot of people who think that movies that don't make sense are somehow "original" or "inventive". This movie had so much potential to be great but it ended up as a confusing mess.

A lot of the time it was impossible to tell if the events were a flashback or a hallucination or something really happening in the present. The most basic thing that any story should have is a coherent plot where events are arranged in chronological order and any flashbacks are clearly indicated. Even if the movie involves lots of hallucinating characters, by the end, the viewer should have a clear idea of what really happened throughout the movie and where the characters have ended up.

[–] Symarip 10 years ago

The most basic thing that any story should have is a coherent plot where events are arranged in chronological order and any flashbacks are clearly indicated.

Plenty of great movies don't run in chronological order. You must never have seen Pulp Fiction or Irreversible...

If you've heard of it, it's already too mainstream for me.

[–] forslund 10 years ago

No, not every story should not be arranged in chronological order etc. We need variation in the movies to prevent predicability and boredom. But it wasn't really that hard to follow the plot here.
The 'infected people' have paranoid hallucinations as you saw with Lewis and to a lesser degree with a few other characters. This also explains their action. The actual flashbacks should be easy to recognize as well.
What makes this movie good for me is the absorbing mayhem (much like in 28 days later and Rec) combined with great black horror especially in the surreal middle part. I also liked the all-out-gore where I had expected something quite ordinary (I rated it 8/10).

[–] aaron4885 10 years ago

It started off quite good I thought. Then, around the time of the New Years party it started sinking.

Was this supposed to be a comedy?

[–] sinsemilla420071 10 years ago

That portion (which is my favorite portion of the film) was supposed to be darkly comedic, yes.

[–] tsheridan94 10 years ago

I would love to sit down with you and watch The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

[–] talaikis-tadas 10 years ago

I rated this 10/10 because it has some greater foundation ("media making people zombies") and good comedy elements of people-zombies sittimg and watching the T.V.: "shut up and watch your T.V." As Eastern European I see how this is done in reality in Russia. People there are now like crazy zombies. Movie even offers solution for such zombies - to think with their head and make right choices to discern hallucinations from reality.

[–] StaunchWoman 10 years ago

...coherent plot where events are arranged in chronological order and any flashbacks are clearly indicated

AHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!!! You're hilarious!
Filmmaking and storytelling is an art form. If you require strict rules and regulations, this isn't the medium for you.

Clearly indicated flashbacks... You'd like a title card maybe? What's wrong with a little thinking alongside the entertaining? When getting confused, don't get offended. Instead, take it as an opportunity to figure things out for yourself.

We've met before, haven't we?

[–] iCode_v2 9 years ago

Why do people assume other people are as incapable of basic comprehension as they are?

[–] elighffalk 8 years ago

Because it makes sense perhaps? and it is one of those few outbreak films that actually are mysterious and creepy the whole way. Thats kinda rare. 28 days later and contagion are few of the other films that can match this one, but most other outbreak films like cabin fever, carriers and the crazies, are great but as outbreak film they dont match this one.