Not my favorite by M. Night...

Rating: 3/10 (6 May 2006)

Gibson, whose salary probably represents a significant portion of Signs' budget, plays Father Graham Hess, a widower who is caring for his two children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigain Breslin), on a Bucks County (Pennsylvania) farm. Following his wife's death six months ago, Graham has done his best to keep his family together. He is aided by his younger brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), who moved to the farm following the tragedy. But Graham has lost his faith in God and has renounced his vocation. Then, one morning, he awakens to an amazing discovery - crop circles in his fields. At first, he is inclined to believe it's all a hoax, but, as evidence mounts that this may not be the case, he and his family realize that what has happened in their fields may be the first signs that Earth is about to have a close encounter.
While much of Shyamalan's setup is familiar, the meat of the story has an exotic flavor. Taking a page from Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the director keeps the aliens hidden from our view. We catch occasional, brief glimpses - a leg in the corn field, a hand under a door, and a flash of green on a television screen. With today's special effects being so convincing, it's unusual for a filmmaker to fall back on the old, tried-and-true technique of "less is more". In the case of Signs, it creates a level of tension that a full revelation would have spoiled.
Then there's the added mystery of whether the aliens are benevolent or aggressive. Shyamalan obscures their intentions for most of the movie, concentrating instead upon the fears and concerns of the characters when they don't know the truth. Graham gives a speech in which he talks about how some humans will view first contact as a miracle that gives them hope, while others will see it as a cause for anxiety and uncertainty. In other words, is Earth about to be subjected to a Close Encounters or an Independence Day? For quite some time, Shyamalan doesn't tip his hand, and, when he does so, it isn't in a predictable manner.