A spellbinding, funny and tragic film.

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2002)

There are few directors that I will go out and see a movie just because they directed it, regardless of the subject matter or who's in it. M. Night is now on my list.
Movies can be picked apart on so many levels, even the greatest ones (Citizen Kane, Ben-Hur, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest etc...) I avoid second guessing anyone's work. So, dismiss the naysayers who didn't like this film. here's what I thought:
Signs is in my top 5 of 2002. For a couple of hours, I visited a farm in Pennsylvania. I got to know a wonderful family. I laughed with them, got scared with them and even cried. SIGNS is indeed NOT the movie that the trailers portray. It's better. *******Possible spoilers follow********** I'll do my best not to reveal key plot points or surprises.

In SIGNS, you get to know Graham hess, a former reverend who lost his faith in God after a terrible tragedy. He lives on a farm with his brother and his two children. A large crop circle is discovered on the farm's property. Confused, the police are contacted. It is deemed a prank until hundreds more are discovered all around the world.
The most successful execution of the entire film is that it is told completely from the view of the family and through television and radio broadcasts, exactly the way we might all experience the same thing. I was reminded of my morning watching the September 11th attacks on the news several times during the film especially as Joaquin Phoenix sees footage from Brazil where "something" was caught on tape. His reaction of horror was astounding.
IMDB doesn't allow me enough room to put all of my feelings down. I've really only just begun to touch on my review, but, let me at least get these points out: Mel Gibson is a phenominal actor with unending passion. Joaquin Phoenix has put in his best performance to date. His character is a real, living, breathing human being. Rory Culkin is destined to be the first Culkin in history to maintain a career in acting and little Abigail Breslin is a charm and beats out Drew Barrymore's E.T. performance 100 fold.

M. Night, you are a fantastic storyteller. Directing a film is obviously not a job for you but a passionate means of telling great tales and drawing people into your world. Keep on making YOUR movies. If I could one day realize my dream of making movies, I'd want to make films like this.

SIGNS is a PERFECT film.