Not your average alien film...

Rating: 2/10 (2 January 2004)

***SPOILER-ALERT***
Imho, this movie sucks. And to be able to explain why it sucks, I have to explain the plot. Don't read further if you haven't seen it yet...
Signs starts out like any other alien movie. Signs of alien life appear all over the world and an invasion seems inevitable. But in fact this in not a movie about aliens. It is a movie that deals with religion and belief. Towards the end this becomes more clear and you get the feeling that you've been watching a sci-fi version of the bible. All logic has been shoved aside and has been replaced with religious symbolism.
The main problem with this film is that the symbolism takes over the story. The plot seems thin and weak, but eventually becomes clear. Everything is a metaphor. Aliens are apparently dumb-ass creatures, who are unable to open doors and can easily be killed with water, but in fact, aliens are demons. This becomes apparent when you realize that the aliens are not really invading the planet. They are here to get us, the humans. These aliens are actually being killed by some kind of "holy" water. The whole goal of this movie is to make you believe in the presence of a god, no matter what happens. The last scene, where Mel gets his faith back, is the most important scene in the movie. I, however, choose not to believe, and that is why I really dislike this movie. It felt like religious "in your face" propaganda, while I was expecting a good sci-fi movie. I'm disappointed, because I actually liked "Unbreakable", M. Night's second film...
My rating: */*****