Signs movie review Science Fiction Mel Gibson Shyamalan by Reel Cinema

One morning a farmer in rural Pennsylvania wakes up to find his two young children screaming in the cornfields. He discovers something he can only attribute as a prank, mysterious crop circles. Mel Gibson is Graham Hess, a widower who after losing his wife, lost his faith. The death of Grahams wife was not only a turning point in his life but one in which he could never believe in something greater, it was a cruel twist of fate. As a man of God he wanted more for her than she got, and for her to be taken in this senseless way was more than he could understand. Her last words were in regards to Grahams brother, Merill. To tell him to "Swing Away".

It doesn't seem they are the only case of crop circles, they soon find out it's a worldwide phenomenon that has occured at such a fast rate that it's unexplainable. People are glued to their tv sets, mesmerized and freaking out. They fear the unknown, fear the unexpected, fear the truth, and there is no way to prepare for a situation when you don't know what is coming. And it's not what we see in the film that scares us, it's what we don't see. It's in the shadows, it's the idea, it's that split second glimpse of "What the hell was that standing on the roof?!"

There are some very suspenseful moments, the director draws the film out with a huge array of emotions. There are emotional moments between Graham and his two children that are very touching. His younger brother Merill has been living with them since the death of Graham's wife - to help him. He's always looked up to his older brother as someone to model themself after, but he finds a certain strength within himself, qualities to which he might have thought were flaws. He used to be a baseball player and held the record for the furthest ball hit, but he also held the highest record for strike-outs. When asked why he always swung at every ball with everything he had he replies that it wouldn't have felt right not to.

The children are afraid of what's happening, the younger girl seems to have dreams and a sense of things. But mostly you begin to see little things throughout the film that make sense in the end. We go through life's moments, some seeming so meaningless, but what if each had a meaning? What if each moment played out was to the tune of fate, that there are no coincidences? That maybe these are the signs in our lives we should be looking towards and paying attention to because nothing is by accident. His son has asthma, and his daughter has a strange habit of leaving glasses of water around the house. Maybe everything has a reason.

There is something in the corn. And director Shyamalan has a way of making you leap out of your seat...drawing on a person's most basic fears. Fear of the dark for one. Something is there, you are alone. You can hear it, you can feel it. And all you wanna do is run. The most primal instinct, to survive. And the fear of the uknown, the unexplainable to which we always want sound reasons and logic to guide us through. Whatever is happening is causing all the animals to become alarmed and hostile. I love it when movies can take advantage of your anticipation. And with them living on the rural farm further punctuates the feeling of isolation, alienation (no pun intended), when you are experiencing a life changing moment and you feel so alone.

I was really excited by this film, then I heard some less than positive reviews from various reviewers on the net. I think it is WAY better than some are giving credit for. I think you have to appreciate Shayamalan as one who nurtures the story, the relationships of those being tested, and the ' lingering chiller' genre. The director is known for his hit "The Sixth Sense" and later "Unbreakable" which earned less praise but has appeal. It's hard for a new director who made a breakthrough film to be able to please everyone, because people are more willing to tear apart their work as you are always living in the Shadow of your hit and have to meet expectations. I think the film has everything to make it really solid. Drama, suspense, scenes that make you jump, science fiction, religion, family, irony - and successfully excecutes. You are generally going to get a mixed reaction from this film, because it goes against the grain. It's not always about the obvious.

The heart of the movie doesn't necessarily lie in what is behind the crop circles, it's something more enriching. It isn't a story that follows a formula, it doesn't take advantage of the audience by giving them gore or visual distractions. Because what Shyamalan chooses to do is draw on the one thing that can be in your corner when making a film like this. Audience anticipation, and imagination. The less you show the better. I think we've become so conditioned by formulated movies that something like this catches us off guard. It is not meant to be like "Independence Day"..thank god. "Signs" has alot of symbolism. It's a very intelligent story, the sub-plot is merely the sci-fi element to which the story expands around.

Are we alone out there? Well, maybe we aren't ever really alone.

Hosting by WebRing. Navigation by WebRing.