White Noise 2: The Light

I watched this film for its two actors: Nathan Fillion (from Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity projects) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica and The Bionic Woman). As it turned out, these two actors suffuse their characters with human emotion and charisma, enough to lift this movie from the usual and common "shock and awe" material.

Abe Dale's family is mysteriously murdered in front of him by a man in a diner. Abe (Nathan Fillion) attempts to take his own life, and, before the doctors pull him back, experiences the white light in his near-death experience. After this moment, he finds that he can identify who will die in the near future.

Thankfully, the plot doesn't end there. There's much more to it, and the visual effects amplify Abe's quest -- and fear -- greatly. There are a lot of things in the movie -- particularly aural effects -- which don't make much sense, don't tie into the plot, and are just plain irritating. But on the whole, the movie works well and comes together in an almost satisfying way at the end.

The best movies of this genre are those where clues are given and the viewer can piece them together to see where the storyline may lead. This movie almost captures that feeling, enough so that I was kept watching the entire time, trying to tie the fragments together.

Was it frightening? After all, that's the sense the moviemakers were going for. Let me put it this way: I had to watch another movie after this one so that my last thoughts before bedtime weren't of Abe and his "problem."

Thumb's up.