The flashbacks don't totally work and Shyamalan's traditional twist is not as impacting as he probably planned it to be.
The cast is pretty weak considering the talent. Gibson plays it too tight and reverently all the way, it's hard to get with his character considering how straight he plays it.
Culkin is OK but too obvious while Breslin is better than she is allowed to be and really could have benefited with a bit more screen time. Overall this is a good story at heart but is spoilt a little by the telling and the fact that, while we all saw it becoming a global sci-fi, Shyamalan was actually building it to be come a much smaller look at faith and God.
This clash of aims is hard to accept but there is still plenty to enjoy as well as plenty of jumps, just a shame that the film's final quarter can't live up to the expectation the plot had created.
I didn't care for this movie when it first came out, when I saw it on the big screen. I wasn't doing IMDb reviews back then, so I revisit those films prior to fifteen years ago that I might have seen but never commented on. My initial reluctance concerned how the story line veered off from a psychological thriller into a sci-fi flick, without considering the context of 'Father' Graham Ness's Mel Gibson insight into his 'two groups of people', who he defined as those who looked at luck or coincidence as confirming either their own hope versus fear.
People with hope view coincidence as a sign that someone is watching over them, while those with fear feel that they're out in the world alone and on their own. Graham fell into the second camp, his brother Merrill Joaquin Phoenix felt comfortable in the first category. The entire story in my estimation, hinged on the way Graham was scarred by the death of his wife in a senseless accident. Unable to come to grips with any logical reason for that to occur, Graham withdrew from the clerical life and gave up on his belief in a just and loving God.
What director Shyamalan tries to do is close the circle on Graham's faith by indulging in 'signs', those little moments and occurrences in a person's life that seem to have no meaning in and of themselves, but when viewed in a larger context, have a way of coming together to resonate in a person's life.
So we have 'see', and 'swing away', the two vital elements Graham needed to employ in order to save his son Morgan Rory Culkin from the deadly grasp of a vengeful alien being. Now in terms of a personal sign, I had to get a kick out of little Bo Hess Abigail Breslin and her fickle taste in water. There are times my now ten year old granddaughter will tell me she doesn't like the water she's about to drink because it 'tastes old', or because it was lying around in a glass for a while.
I try to wrap my head around the idea of water tasting 'old' and I can't do it, so I'll have to take her insistence as a means of tapping into some power I'm not aware of.
Someday it might come in handy for, I don't know, an alien invasion or something along those lines. It might have been slightly better without all the religious stuff. And anyway, if the aliens are allergic to water, how were they able to enter our atmosphere?
And if they can travel through space, why can't they open a simple door? And no doubt Joaquin Phoenix is a lot prouder of "Walk the Line" than of this. Just why M. Night Shyamalan - who plays a larger role here than he usually does in his movies - had to do this, I'll never understand. When I saw it in the cinema, I thought it was one of the creepiest films ever, and made me jump quite a lot, that's without the flashbacks of course.
From director M. His crops have been taken down, and from a birds-eye-view, they could see that something is making "signs", or crop circles. As they wonder further about this incident, they later get closer and closer to other life on the farm and in other parts of the Bucks county.
The scenes in the basement were the most tense in the cinema, the flashbacks to Graham's wife's death get in the way, and the small moments of comedy fit in okay, a good science fiction thriller. Worth watching! I had the advantage of hearing nothing but bad things about this film before I saw it, so my expectations were low. Often times, I am pleasantly surprised after hearing all those negative remarks. I'd include this as another film "better than I expected, "but not good enough to watch a second time.
The second half of the film, I was told, was extremely hokey but I found it okay, although I could see where people would say that. However, I just watched it as a piece of entertainment, nothing else, and appreciated the sharp photography, too. In other words, I didn't read into anything with the story which so many others have seemed to do. Mel Gibson plays Hollywood's favorite type of clergyman: the kind who has lost his faith.
That is, until, the strange turn of events at the end of the movie. Hey, it's an entertaining movie, with good suspense and very little offensive material. This is the typical M. Night Shyamaian movie, which means it does a good job of hooking you into the story but doesn't always give you a satisfying ending. They're Here -- Yet Again rmax 12 July Instead, everything began quietly, deliberately, ominously.
The eponymous signs are crop circles, the first signals that something is up world-wide. Not too promising a beginning, since the circles were debunked years ago.
But the nicely evoked rural atmosphere of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was charming in the same way that rural Iowa was charming in "Field of Dreams. And, then, too, I was kind of impressed by the overall tone imposed on the flick by its director. Everyone speaks slowly and quietly, often actually whispering, although there is no reason to whisper. It looked as if it might be an unorthodox, thoughtful look at the nature of the universe, or at least our perceptions of it.
Then, alas, the blocks began to fall into place and what we have instead is a kind of Steven King horror story skeleton fleshed out with techniques derived from the X Files. Mel Gibson, in a decent performance, is a clergyman who has lost his faith after his wife's death and turned to farming. I hoped against hope he wouldn't recover his belief in God after undergoing some additional crisis.
Phoenix is his failed baseball-player brother who doesn't have much to do except help out around the house, doing such chores as whacking aliens with his baseball bat and accidentally smashing the only light bulb in the cellar when they need it most. The two kids, however, are engagingly underplayed and the little girl is given some funny lines. Although nobody laughs, or even grins at any time in the movie. Gibson too has a comic moment when the family votes on whether to leave the house or stay and hole up there.
When he is outvoted, he abruptly claims to have "two votes" because he represents two parents. The plot has just about every cliche you can think of. Does the reverend regain his faith? Actually, it's not clear whether he does or not. Are there awed newscasters on TV reporting crop circles and lights in the sky from all around the world, saying things like, "God help us all"?
Is there a sick kid who, in order to survive, must have medicine that has been left behind in a place of danger and must be retrieved? Is the family trapped in the cellar, as in "Night of the Living Dead"? Do they spend half the movie fumbling around in the dark with only two flashlights between them, as in The X Files? Is the house hastily boarded up with planks nailed over the windows and doors, as in "The Birds"?
Do the aliens try to creep into the house through neglected openings such as a coal shoot, as in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"? Are they finally defeated by something found all around us in everyday life, like harmless bacteria "The War of the Worlds" or water "The Day of the Triffids," "The Wizard of Oz"? The answers are yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. Still, I admire the attempt on the part of the people responsible for this flick, the director in particular, to breathe some life into these moribund elements of the plot.
At least they tried. Tweekums 16 November Protagonist Graham Hess is a former priest who lost is faith after the death of his wife; he lives in rural Pennsylvania with his brother Merrill and children Morgan and Bo. Strange things start to happen straight away; overnight a series of giant crop circles appear in his corn field and his dog suddenly becomes violent. At first he assumes the crop circles were the work of local youths but soon the TV reports that similar patterns are appearing all over the planet.
It isn't long before everybody becomes certain that they are a precursor to the appearance of aliens; the question is will they be friendly or will they have sinister intentions. Night Shyamalan's best film it is still entertaining. There are plenty of other things to wonder about; why does the young girl Bo leave glasses of water around the house and do Graham's wife's enigmatic last words have any real meaning to mention just a couple.
While the film isn't really scary there are plenty of tense moments as well as some pretty funny ones. The cast does a decent job and it was nice to have child characters that weren't overly precocious.
Some people will have a problem with the ending but I think if it is possible to accept a plot involving invading aliens it shouldn't be impossible to accept a resolution with a religious dimension. It was interesting to see an alien invasion film from the perspective of a small family group that decides to batten down the hatches at home rather than following those involved in fighting the aliens or a family caught up in a mass exodus fleeing the aliens; this gives the film a more intimate feel as for the most part it concentrates on just four characters.
Overall I'd recommend this to any fans of Shyamalan's other films. Strange and eerie storytelling about an isolated , quiet farm in Pennsylvania stalked by mysterious creatures. At first glance, this family seems happy , but this close-knit family lives with a tragedy. After his wife's death in a freak accident , Hess and his family try to figure out what the sign means and how its message incorporates into their faith.
Later on , they discover a gigantic crop circle in his yard and they have frightening knowledge that creatures reside in the surrounding and subsequently at home. As they get the feeling that they aren't alone in the fields behind their house. Graham's children Rory Culkin , Abigail Breslin think it's aliens, his brother Joaquin Phoenix thinks it's pranksters, and Graham doesn't know what to think. Similar happenings occur all around the world. As more and more strange events occur, they realize something big is coming and it probably won't be friendly.
The Signs Of LifeA message. A warning. A sign The first sign you can't explain. The second sign you can't ignore. The third sign you won't believe. It's happening.
Don't see it alone. Another paranormal entry for writer-director Shyamalan , this is an eerie and mysterious movie depicting the tale of an isolated home , confronting the surprising mystery that lies just outside its farm , as a family lives under the control of some bizarre beings , until a revelatory twist.
It explores the strange implications of a foot crop circle that mysteriously appears at the location. Night toys with religion and other thoughtful ideas , but at times , he buries them under an illogical and rather unpredictable tale. Night Shyamalan got a good feel for the intriguing as well as terrifying , at times , story.
Focusing here is on security , self-preservation , frightening to unknown and conservatism , as revealed in the tale of a rural location.
Night delivers a nice filmmaking and , as usual , he shows an important scene set in a basement , such as : in this Signs : The family is in the basement when the aliens attack , the same as : The sixth Sense : Malcolm is in the basement when discovering important plot information; Unbreakable : David discovers his strength in a basement ; In The Village , when they are in the cellar or basement Ivy discovers that Lucius really does care for her.
Similarly , Car crashes play pivotal roles in all his films : Cole reveals his gift to his mother during a traffic jam in The six sense , David "loses" his football abilities in a car accident in The unbreakable , and a sad death in a bizarre car accident in Signs Here Mel Gibson as Reverend Graham Hess who questions his faith and even leaves the church gives a very good acting.
Main cast and support cast are pretty well , full of young and veteran players such as : Cherry Jones, Patricia Kalember , and of course , Joaquin Phoenix and M. Night Shyamalan himself. A main draw is the cast as newcomers : Rory Culkin , Abigail Breslin ; all of them put in great performances.
Rousing and thrilling soundtrack by James Newton Howard who frequently works with Shyamalan for the musical score. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by Tak Fujimoto. The motion picture was well made by Night M Shyamalan , writing , producing and directing , though being some claustrophobic and slow-moving.
Night delivers his first period piece putting the entire cast through a creepy story of extraterrestrial invasion , retelling with several surprises.
Competently produced by Night Shyamalan himself , many of his films involve pivotal roles with extraordinary abilities or events happening to them and with children always having family problems. Night usually puts in a scene from one of his childhood films that marks his first attempt at the same kind of movie. The Sixth Sense includes the ghost story Nightmare on Old Gulf, The unbreakable includes the action movie Millionaire, Signs includes the monster movie Pictures , and The Village includes an untitled period piece.
Shyalaman usually shoots in Philadelphia , this is Shyamalan favorite location. Well worth watching. Better than average. A widowed ex-minister in Pennsylvania, living on a farm with his kids and his ex-ball player brother, believes the crop circles on his land as well as the ones profiled on the news may be indicative of something other-worldly. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, who understands commercial movie-making these days as well as any other filmmaker, tends to get bogged down in pretensions, but where his dialogue is sometimes gummy, his characters are complicated and relatable.
Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix are wonderfully convincing as the brothers unexpectedly caught up in the supernatural, never letting their lived-in relationship hit a false note. Shyamalan is terrific at staging a big scary moment, and any of the sequences involving Gibson and his family are enjoyable, but the more intimate, two-character scenes stall the momentum particularly one involving Shyamalan himself as a co-star.
Still, with all its faults--and a too-literal final act--"Signs" knows how to get reactions from its audience, and it is clever and canny if not quite hair-raising. Really nice DVD, but only an average movie. TxMike 2 February My wife and I enjoyed "Signs" but when it was over we both said, "That's a pretty average movie.
I liked "Unbreakable" much more, and even "The Sixth Sense. But the extras give a superb glimpse into Night's film-making process, how he writes, how he directs, the building of the farm set in an experimental corn field, and how the CGI alien was done. However, there's a bit much "mutual admiration" comments at times by the actors and crew. And Night's comment, regarding design of various trailers to advertise "Signs", "We're going to show you one of the best movies ever seen", gives us an insight into the perhaps inflated view Night has of his own work.
A key theme running through "Signs" and uttered more than once is, "Is it possible that there are no coincidences? We are shown a drawing in a book of aliens where the house looks exactly like the one in this movie.
The film gets its title from crop signs, made by alien beings as directions for other aliens to follow them, but also has the meaning of Gibson's character, an Episcopal priest, to get a sign from God regarding his faith, lost when his wife was killed by a car. It turns out that the aliens here are not kind aliens, they want something which is never directly revealed.
What did I not like about this movie? I find the dialog unbelievable much of the time. It ends with a similar shot, through the same window, now shattered. It ends with a revelation.
Graham Hess Mel Gibson , a former minister who lives on a Pennsylvania farm with his two children and brother Merrill, lost his faith in God when he lost his wife in a tragic car accident six months earlier.
One morning, elaborate crop circles appear in the cornfields. He followed that up with Unbreakable , a somber valentine to superheroes in a time right before everyone rushed to see movies about them. That put a new sheen on the experience the characters are having in the film. I can see that. Signs came out after The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable , but when did the actual idea come to you?
So they went trick-or-treating together. And then the girls that are abducted in Split are the exact same age as my daughter—19 years old.
And then I had a complicated reaction to the reaction to Unbreakable. In fact, it was not seen as a legitimate subject matter. I wanted to do it in a very kind of dramatic way, and I think my somberness at the time of Unbreakable came off in the film. I was sitting there and seeing a family that was silent, and they were eating. I saw a couple that was quiet, and they were eating. And so Signs was born that way.
If I started to get tight, I would walk away. How about she drinks glasses of water all the time, and keeps leaving them around? I wonder where that could go? My daughter wears costumes of angels all the time. And what ended up happening was really interesting. It was a psychological experiment. Because it was the easiest script to write in my career. We had more than our share of troubles that a movie has—for example, a lot of the cast was different , and for many reasons things switched.
And my shoots are torturous for me. Every day I question whether I should have become a doctor, you know. It was really fun. What films or filmmakers influenced how big you let music get, and how much you let it do in your films? As we do on all of our movies, I walked through the storyboards with him.
The idea is that James comes from the screenplay and the material, and can you write a suite of music from that? This is the opening credits. You got it. For a lot of people, Signs is a movie about an alien invasion. When it is over, we think not how little has been decided, but how much has been experienced.
Here is a movie in which the plot is the rhythm section, not the melody. A movie that stays free of labored explanations and a forced climax, and is about fear in the wind, in the trees, in a dog's bark, in a little girl's reluctance to drink the water. In signs. The posters show crop circles, those huge geometric shapes in fields of corn and wheat, which were seen all over the world in the s.
Their origin was explained in when several hoaxers came forward and demonstrated how they made them; it was not difficult, they said. Like many supernatural events, however, crop circles live on after their unmasking, and most people today have forgotten, or never knew, that they were explained.
The genius of the film, you see, is that it isn't really about crop circles, or the possibility that aliens created them as navigational aids. I will not even say whether aliens appear in the movie, because whether they do or not is beside the point.
The purpose of the film is to evoke pure emotion through the use of skilled acting and direction, and particularly through the soundtrack.
It is not just what we hear that is frightening. It is the way Shyamalan has us listening intensely when there is nothing to be heard. I cannot think of a movie where silence is scarier, and inaction is more disturbing.
We discover he is a priest only belatedly, when someone calls him "Father. Since he has two children, it takes us a beat to compute that he must be Episcopalian. Not that it matters, because he has lost his faith. The reason for that is revealed midway in the film, a personal tragedy I will not reveal. There is an old-fashioned farmhouse and barn, and wide cornfields, and from the very first shot there seems to be something Hess lives with anxiety gnawing at him.
The wind sounds strange. Dogs bark at nothing. There is something wrong. The crop circles do not explain the feelings so much as add to them.
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