A throwback sci-fi thriller wrapped around a human condition

Rating: Null/10 (18 July 2004)

I really liked this movie. It has been given a split decision by the viewing public but has been better received than Unbreakable. It has been difficult for Shyamalan to score another box office knock-out since The Sixth Sense largely because it was such a huge hit that it was a quantum leap. This is similar to Bob Beamon's record setting long jump in Mexico City, 1968 Olympics that shattered the previous record by almost two feet when mere inches or fractions of inches are the usual progression. Beamon spent the rest of his track and field career just trying to approach it, let alone surpass it. I hope Shyamalan's career does not have to endure the same kind of relentless expectation. Shyamalan's movies are now compared to that original leap which is why a lot is missed in his two works since. But I don't believe The Sixth Sense is his standard for making his movies. Each one is its own entity not seeking to match another. It will be interesting to see how The Village is received. I think the mark of Shyamalan's genius as a filmmaker is that you can't fully digest his work in a single sitting. Even though he borrows philosophy and technique from previous filmmakers, Shyamalan displays his own passion for brewing these ingredients into his own stew.
Signs is funny and scary. So we know that crop circles can be and, to the best of our knowledge, are man-made? That doesn't mean that alien spacecrafts can't use them as navigation makers. Furthermore, where did we get the idea from anyway? How would you react if you suspected that aliens were assembling in your backyard for something yet to come? We know very little about them, how much do they know about us? What are their intentions -- exploration, conquest, enslavement? What are our inferences -- friendship, hostility, doom? They are obviously technologically advanced of us in space travel and seemingly biologically advanced in locomotion. How do we get out of this one? Coincidently, we must keep the faith!