Starring:
Mel Gibson as Father Graham Hess
Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hess
Rory Culkin as Morgan Hess
Abigail Breslin as Bo Hess
Cherry Jones as Officer Caroline Paski
M. Night Shyamalan as Ray
Patricia Kalember as Colleen Hess
Jose L. Rodriguez as Radio Host
Summary:
M. Night Shyamalan again proves he's the master of suspense with "Signs," but the ending may not satisfy all viewers.
What's It About:
Graham Hess is a widower who lives on a small Pennsylvania farm with his younger brother and two children. A former reverend, he has lost his faith and renounced religion after the tragic death of his wife. His life begins to take a twist into the surreal when a crop circle mysteriously appears in his cornfield. At first believing it was made by pranksters, he soon begins to wonder if there's more to it. Little does he realize that what he discovers about the circles may save his family.
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Rated PG-13 for some frightening moments.
What Worked:
Shyamalan definitely keeps his title as the master of suspense with "Signs". He's able to take the simplest everyday things and scare the crap out of you with them. After seeing this film, you will never view a cornfield, baby monitor, or scratching noise in your house the same again.
If you've seen the commercials, you know that aliens play a key role in the film. Shyamalan is able to totally keep you on the edge of your seat by showing nothing more of them than shadows or claws. What also is amazing is that the aliens are, for the most part, seen in the full daylight. He doesn't always have the scary parts take place at night. Daytime isn't the safe haven that it usually is in a scary movie. This film also uses the theater sound system effectively by having sound effects of the aliens skittering over the house move all around the theater. It will totally freak you out. It's amazing how Shyamalan makes an effective alien invasion movie by hardly showing them at all. He knows that your imagination will create infinitely more terrifying images than he can ever come up with on the screen.
The performances in this film are first rate. Mel Gibson is fantastic as usual. Joaquin Phoenix provides much needed comic relief and humanity to this otherwise dark film. The two children are amazing and hold their own well against their more famous co-stars. Writer/Director/Producer M. Night Shyamalan even does a fine job in an acting role in this film.
This film takes some of the best elements of War of the Worlds and Close Encounters and repackages them for new audiences. It also combines several elements of UFO mythology into a cohesive tale. One of the most notable things about it is that it tells a very personal story. In the face of a global event, we concern ourselves only with what's happening in this particular family. We see everything from their point of view and from their isolated world. However, the true heart of this film's story is a man's restoration of faith in God and rebuilding bonds with his family. If you're looking for a good scare and an interesting twist on the whole alien invasion concept, this is one you'll want to check out.
What Didn't Work:
After "The Sixth Sense," everyone expects Shyamalan's movies to have some earth-shattering twist at the end. While "Unbreakable" had just such a twist, it wasn't as impressive as his first film's. With "Signs," there's no major revelation at the end as you might hope for. The ending really only shows a few plot points presented earlier in the film converging and it ties up a few loose ends at the end. There's nothing that you can't predict about the ending.
Despite lacking that hoped for twist, the movie is still a little confusing and it may not necessarily answer all of your questions. Most of my unanswered questions involved what was happening beyond the Hess' house. But since that wasn't the focus of the film, my questions were never sufficiently addressed. However, the more time I think about "Signs" after seeing it, the more I think the ending was OK. I guess I was expecting something more dramatic.
My final gripe is this - if aliens can travel all the way across the galaxy and they have technology far beyond ours, why are they easily foiled by a locked door? And when their motivation for being on earth is revealed, I again ask…..why? What was the purpose behind what they did? Maybe that's what Shyamalan intended.
Overall I think "Signs" is worth checking out. It's one of the more fun films this summer if you want to be creeped out.
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