This film has nothing to do with the low-budget* horror* movie by the same title from seven years ago.

    Three MIT* friends — two young men, Nic and Jonah (Brenton Thwaites and Beau Knapp), and one girl, Haley (Olivia Cooke) — are on a cross-country road trip to move Haley to the city that will be her home for the next year.

    But, in fact, her boyfriend Nic and their mutual* friend Jonah are far more interested in tracking down* the source of a signal coming from the computer of an ace* hacker* who broke into their university’s well-guarded mainframe*.

    Following the signal, they come to a faraway shack* in the desert of the southwest, where they are attacked by a mysterious*, unseen force. Separated from the group, Nic blacks out* and wakes up some time later in a medical facility, taken care of by teams of scientists in hazmat suits*.

    Nic’s being locked in this hospital and being questioned by its head Dr. Wallace Damon (Laurence Fishburne) starts the most effective part of the film. The production design and cinematography are good while director William Eubank finds effective ways to suggest that things are not what they seem.

    However, Nic goes and breaks the surreal spell* cast by the film’s second act by fleeing his prison and trying to save himself and his friends. Doing that, however, he has to find ways in a place that seems both familiar and new, full of people trying to slow him down. From there, the film itself slows down too, and the end of the film is no surprise.

    The film would be less disappointing if the characterizations were better and the pace tighter, but Nic is a common hero and Eubank lacks the flair* for low-budget action films like directors George Miller or Neil Marshall. He seems more interested in surface flash* than a well-told story and character depth. The film has some good ideas and effective moments, but for the most part it fails to deliver its ambitions*.

    (SD-Agencies)