Just like War of the Worlds

Rating: 1/10 (5 October 2002)

In the movie Signs a character says, `Just like War of the Worlds.' Although he is talking about the unfolding events of the story, he might as well have been referring to the whole movie. Everything from Night of the Living Dead to The Wizard of OZ is fair game for M. Night Shyamalan's larceny. The whole ridiculously over-dramatized mess has no more substance than an episode of The Outer Limits.
And then there is Mr. Shyamalan's acting. Although not quite as embarrassing or self-serving as your typical Quentin Tarantino cameo, the performance is even less credible. Of course, this might be the result of poor direction, which is undoubtedly the case with Mel Gibson. His super stoic portrayal of the protagonist is really a boredom endurance test. And Rory Culkin as his son Morgan is simply just a weak incarnation of another Sixth Sense youngster, but infinitely more nauseating.
WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER!
Yet, nothing compares to the limp-wrist, semi-naked aliens. These obviously computer-generated bogeymen are not even smart enough to wear protective clothing, control inferior beings, or even escape from a blocked kitchen pantry. They seem to have no weapons. Nor do their intended victims, the inhabitants of a lone farmhouse in the middle of a cornfield, in the middle of nowhere. Maybe they all are just trying to be politically correct. How did these aliens ever manage to travel several light years through space and arrive at Earth?
And I'm not even going to touch the advice giving, clairvoyant wife crushed against a tree. I'm amazed that such pabulum impresses so many people. If you need a hokum fix, save your money, stay home, and watch The X-Files.