Alien invasion yarn told from a personal perspective, with a subtext about keeping one's faith (for those who want it).

Rating: 6/10 (29 December 2005)

There can't be many films which divide the audience more than "Signs". Even a cursory glance at the user comments here on the IMDb shows some people rating it highly and singing its praises, while others give it the dreaded 1-out-of-10 verdict. Similarly, many professional critics have been split over this film with Jonathan Ross stating that it left him "terrifically let down", while Cosmo Landesman hailed it "a wonderful sustained slice of American Gothic". I have a theory about why there are such polar opinions of the film. I believe that many people read the plot summary on the back of the video case, notice that the film features big stars like Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, and start expecting something along the lines of "Independence Day" or "The War Of The Worlds". But "Signs" is not that kind of film - it is not concerned with laser gun battles and aliens having their guts splattered all over the place, nor is it concerned with the spectacle of entire cities being decimated by gigantic alien spaceships. For that reason, many people who were hoping for explosions and destruction on a grand scale come away feeling cheated.
Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former priest living on a very remote farm in Pennsylvania. He lost his faith following the tragic death of his wife in a car accident. Also living on the farm are Graham's children Bo (Abigail Breslin) and Morgan (Rory Culkin), and Graham's younger brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). Merrill was once a minor league baseball player, famous for hitting the longest ever shot but, paradoxically, famous for suffering the most strike-outs in the history of the sport. One morning, the Hess family discover a huge crop circle in their field. Their initial bewilderment gradually gives way to paranoia and fear as they learn from the TV news that such crop circles have been appearing all over the world. Before long, UFOs are sighted above cities and scaly alien creatures are filmed sneaking around on Earth. The Hess family fear that an invasion is imminent, with the crop circles like the one in the field adjacent to their house used as landing points. They board up their farmhouse and take refuge inside, hoping to survive the night against whatever it is that is trying to get in.
All the way through the film, Shyamalan refuses to get carried away with the bigger picture of the alien invasion. We only see and hear of the destruction caused by the invaders via the Hess's TV and radio set. Instead, the story is approached directly from the perspective of the Hess family, making it much more intimate and personal than the usual alien invasion entries. Shyamalan uses seemingly insignificant little details and overlapping flashbacks to build up his story, and makes his main themes those of the power of fate and the need for faith. In fact, the whole alien-invasion aspect of the plot is relegated in terms of significance and used merely as a backcloth for the story of Graham's regaining of faith. We are being told here that EVERYTHING happens for a reason and that even the most innocuous of events or conversations has a bearing on the future. This preachy approach - almost religious, in a discreet kind of way - is likely to irritate some viewers, though the more spiritual among us might find it absorbing and affirming. "Signs" is very slow-paced and intricate, certainly not the kind of film that encourages repeat viewings, but in the end I think it delivers. I certainly didn't come away feeling "terrifically let down", as Mr Ross complained. I've seen many better films, but I've seen a heck of a lot worse too. "Signs" is good, suspenseful stuff, with thought-provoking themes for those who can be bothered to pursue them.