$$$$$$igns : But neither unbreakable nor sixth (sus)sense(ful).

Rating: Null/10 (11 August 2002)

MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS: A big problem with this film, as I see it, is that we have come to expect M. N. Shyamalan to continue to deliver projects as superbly crafted as The Sixth Sense. But with success, especially in Hollywood, comes the commercial demands to capitalize on such phenomena by expecting subsequent projects to be conceived of and completed under increasingly tighter deadlines. This often results in watered down versions of the writer or director's potential vision. All SIGNS suggest that this may be the case in this latest offering from Shyamalan. This tale of reaffirmation of faith could have been improved tremendously if attention had been paid to some distracting plot devices such as the aliens' aversion to water. Why then, did they choose to land on a planet whose surface was two thirds water? Or is that why they had to invest in those cheap wet suits? Again, what was the purpose behind repeating flashbacks of the wife's death? I was expecting something more profound like the scene of the injured airman in Catch-22. Also, it made it a little difficult to sympathize with a family that was so apparently callous about the welfare of not one, but two of their animals. One can go on, but then again, every one's a critic. All in all, the film's biggest weakness may lie in the fact that we understand the character's conflicts in a cerebral way but don't "connect" emotionally with any of the characters - i.e. we need to care about what happens to them. That is why Sixth Sense was such a critical success. And, that is why, although SIGNS will make a lot of $$$$$igns at the box office, it will ultimately remain an unsatisfying film to watch. I sincerely hope Shyamalan will live up to his awesome talents in his next project.