Elite security contractors sent to rescue a billionaire on a remote island hear a strange sound with devastating consequences. Black Noise utterly disappoints by not delivering a climactic payoff after better than expected rising action. The straightforward narrative draws from common sci-fi and horror themes with initial success. Characters stuck in a dangerous setting are plucked off while trying to unmask a mysterious threat. There's something freaky going on. Let's find it and unload every weapon in the arsenal. We get the death and gunplay but no concrete answers. A befuddling finale leaves you in the lurch.
A wounded security guard (Gene Freeman) runs through a tropical jungle in abject fear. He reaches civilization and sees an ATV. His hope for escape evaporates as he faces a bizarre demise. Meanwhile, on the island of Saint Martin, Ryan (Wayne Gordon) dances provocatively with Leila (Sadie Newman). Sarah (Eve Mauro) laughs as Leo (Jackson Rathbone) strikes out at the bar. The festivities cease once Ryan gets a call on his satellite phone. Laura Hamilton (Niki Spiridakos) has activated an emergency beacon. The wealthy tech heiress needs immediate extraction from the secluded island of Esperanza.
Ryan gathers his team for a short debriefing. Esperanza is a playground for the rich who want to hide. This'll be an easy job. They leave at dawn but are waiting for the last member of the team to arrive. Jordan (Alex Pettyfer) has been gone for months. Leila wonders aloud if he's ready to come back. Ryan ignores her as Jordan enters the hotel. He hugs his "brother" after a long absence.
Alex Pettyfer as Jordan
They take a power boat to a deserted beach. The heavily armed operatives cautiously assess the situation. Ryan leads them into a deserted resort. Where are the people? There's no one to be found as every room is searched. Sarah runs her fingers through black ash on bloody clothes. Suddenly, everyone except for Jordan collapses in pain from a deafening sound. They stagger back on their feet. What just happened? A worried Ryan increases the tempo. Secure Laura Hamilton and get the heck off this island.
Jordan finds an abandoned truck. Leo updates Ryan that all of their tracking devices and external communications have failed. They race to Laura's mansion. She's found cowering in the shower with black ooze leaking from her ears. Have they heard the sound? It means you're all going to die.
Black Noise offers an important clue in the opening scene. You have an idea of where the general story is going. But it's just a visual that could mean anything. The team quickly realizes that whatever's affecting them causes hallucinations. They begin to relive their worst memories. Jordan is no longer immune. Fear and paranoia grips them as the island's empty buildings surround them like a tomb.
The film's second act builds bona fide intrigue and delivers a couple well-timed scares. There's someone or something following them. Black Noise mimics Predator in this regard but doesn't reveal the pursuer. Every corner could hide an assailant. The team begins to break down as they reel from a tragic loss. Ryan struggles to maintain control as his worst nightmares manifest before him. The psychological toll becoming a burden too heavy to bear.
Nightmares Manifest
Prolific director/producer/co-writer Philippe Martinez (Harsh Times, A Week in Paradise) lands a left hook. Black Noise has your attention at the halfway point. It makes sense that the team would meticulously scour the island. They're professional gunmen trying to root out an unseen but heard enemy. The characters devolve further until another shocking occurrence reframes their terrible predicament. This is the pivotal moment where a weak script rears its ugly head. All the suspense carefully crafted pops like a pimple.
Black Noise follows a tried and true formula. Soldiers on a mission lose their minds while being stalked. But it's painfully obvious there was never a good idea where to take the story. The film plunges off a cliff and lands with a dismal thud. The climax feels cobbled together. Everything we'd seen before builds up to a colossal WTF just happened. There's no reason given for how the protagonist finds the enemy. Who or what he's dealing with, and most importantly, drum roll please, what the heck was that freaking sound?
I wish the film was awful from start to finish. That way there'd be nothing invested when Black Noise falls apart. Banter about Havana Syndrome, a debunked conspiracy theory where US diplomats and agents in Cuba were supposedly attacked by a sonic weapon, helped to fuel interest. Then the literal title of the film and primary arc is completely ignored. It boggles the mind. We get a lame, ridiculous, and random B-movie ending. It's like pulling back the curtain to see the wizard and finding a spoon.
Black Noise is a production of MSR Media and Sherborne Media. It will have a November 3rd digital and VOD release from Saban Films.
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