"I hear Aliens"

Rating: 6/10 (2 August 2002)

M. Night Shyamalan borrows from many sources (even from himself) for this film, whether in the spirit of repackaging and recycling the themes and elements or as an homage to the shoulders he stands upon. And it almost works - if he can only pull everything together at the end so that he takes everything one step beyond or gives us a new perspective that we haven't seen or thought about before. Unfortunately, he doesn't. There's plenty of heavy cloud - and thunder and lightning and atmosphere - but no rain. And don't forget the herrings, "red" (a la Sixth Sense) and otherwise.
Despite its soft spots - thin plot, ending that doesn't deliver - the film has its strong points, namely excellent fx and suspense, strong acting (especially from kids) despite some irrational rationale and a few lines that are just plain silly and/or irrelevant. In other words, if you want plot or otherwise totally satisfying movie experience, look elsewhere. If just watching Mel or titillating suspense does it for you, watch on!
****** SPOILER ALERT *******
This film tries to bank on its believability and asks that we suspend our disbelief. But honestly, if you come across an old baby monitor that is making noise, would you think that the main unit is on in the nursery (or a closet) or that the signal must be coming from unseen UFO's (do you hear aliens, "...2 of them, talking together")? This concept/scene belongs in that other movie - Sixth Sense. And how about those crop circles - if you suspected that strange circles in your field might be landing instructions for a hostile invasion, wouldn't you consider firing up the combine, the field or otherwise erasing the signs? How about irrigating those suckers? But then we'd miss Mel Gibson as a tortured and ineffectual soul (snap out of it, Mel! You're the Dad! Grab the kids and head to the lake like Night suggested! This is no time to be democratic!). And a priest who loses faith when faced with personal tragedy probably IS in the wrong profession - not that farming is a suitable alternative (probably requires more faith than the cloth).

Shyamalan's films are also enjoyable from the point of view of recognizing and assembling the clues woven into the scenes as well as whatever is going on in the film. A reason to watch this again would be to examine the clues that Shyamalan scatters along the way - like the color "red" and coldness as being symbolic of significant events/objects and presaging dead people, respectively. in The Sixth Sense. Though the reds were more muted in this, they still seemed to figure prominently. Also, I think the windchime sounds were strategically placed. Obviously, Bo's water obsession and Shyamalan's outright statement about water were significant. Another thing I'd look at is the use os light/dark, day/night. I suspect these effects are more carefully plotted than the rest of this movie, but maybe a re-viewing (when it comes out on video) will show something I'm missing. I hope so.