Well, regardless...!

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2002)

I honestly liked 'Signs', regardless of all the "contrived" parts and "plot holes", all of which were things I truly didn't notice when I was watching it. (It is in my personal opinion that everyone who reviewed it saying those things is either desensitized or overanalyzing.) True, I was not really *scared* by any part of the movie -- certainly on edge.. think the part where Graham (Gibson) drops the flashlight in the cornfield in the dark, which the previews built me up for, or that dog bark -- and I don't think there were enough leap-out-of-your-seat-and-scream-bloody-murder parts, like in 'The Haunting', another movie that aims to scare using the unseen. But despite that, I still really liked 'Signs'. As another reviewer pointed out, M. Night Shyamalan (whom, you must admit, really knows what he's doing) chose to center the movie more around the concept of faith rather than extraterrestrials.. faith in fate and divine intervention, in the idea that maybe coincidence isn't just mere coincidence. This was an original way to go about a sci-fi movie that I certainly appreciated.
Mel Gibson gives a subdued, textured performance tinged with subtle comedic moments that I like, although sometimes it seems as if he is going on autopilot. The child actors, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin, underact beautifully. (They were not *lacking emotion*, people. They were lacking tacky Jake Lloyd-in-'The-Phantom-Menace' sitcom-ish exuberance. Be grateful! No -- be IN AWE!)
And as for the amazing Joaquin Phoenix. I read this in a previous review, written by a one Bent Brush:
" b) Phoenix could not act his way out of a box. His character of the brother is flimsily and under developed. "
Firstly, it is not *his* fault that his *character* was "flimsily-" and "underdeveloped".
Secondly, where the hell have you been that you think Joaquin Phoenix can't act his way out of a box?
He has blown me away with every performance I have seen him give, and his portrayal of Merrill Hess is no exception.
All in all, yes, 'Signs' has its flaws. But they're not unredeemable. Overall it's a fantastic experience and trust me, it's worth your money.
And I'm not going to make a joke using wordplay with "signs" because... that's lame.