dark comedy?

Rating: 5/10 (22 February 2003)

Shyamalan's trademark seems to be clichéd paranormal tales. The filmmaking is not clichéd but the ideas are. In Sixth Sense, about 10 or 15 minutes from the end, I was thinking "why was everyone talking about this film?" then with a simple twist it gives you something to think and talk about. People told me that they thought Sixth Sense was very scary. This is my problem - I don't find films scary anymore. I seemed to have reached the age, or state of mind, where I don't scare easily, especially by films with B movie ghosts or aliens. It didn't help that I watched Signs at home with my wife and kids but I saw Sixth Sense at the cinema and neither raised any hairs on my neck. I put this down to the fact that I don't believe in the spiritual or paranormal. In fact, stealing a line from the movie, I think that events just happen, not that they are signs. If you believe that everything is ultimately explainable (or random) then there is less of an unknown to be scared of.
So, what you get out of this film will depend on your beliefs and whether you like scary movies. If you don't find it scary there is not going to be a lot left to entertain you. On the plus side there are a few laughs - more than you would expect but the Science Fiction is corny (no pun intended!) and implausible. Perhaps it is best to approach Signs as a dark comedy.
So, what you get out of this film will depend on your beliefs and whether you like scary movies. If you don't find it scary there is not going to be a lot left to entertain you. On the plus side there are a few laughs - more than you would expect but the Science Fiction is corny (no pun intended!) and implausible. Perhaps it is best to approach Signs as a dark comedy.