Shyamalan seems to be on a downward spiral

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2002)

Newsweek had a recent cover story calling him "the new Spielberg," but I for one am just about ready to start disbelieving the hype and wait for M. Night Shyamalan's films to show up on video or HBO. I realize that it is unrealistic to expect an experience like the one I had with _The Sixth Sense_ every time out, but after the disappointing _Unbreakable_, I had high hopes for _Signs_. All I can say is that this new movie is even more disappointing.
And it's strange, too, because Shyamalan is obviously a gifted director with a talent for drawing out strong performances from his casts. I was really bothered by the story in _Unbreakable_, which really only got going near the end. Here, the story never gets going--we're treated to 2 hours of buildup to, one suspects, something extraordinary, but what we get is not much of anything. If the surprise in the film is that the whole thing is really all about how Mel Gibson gets his faith back, well, I have to say, that's a pretty poor payoff for all the time and emotion invested in the film, both by the filmmakers and the audience.
There are scares and there is suspense and there are "jump-out-of-your-seat" moments, but ultimately, the movie really isn't about much of anything. I hope that, next time around, M. Night Shyamalan really works on a screenplay with a third act, with some sort of satisfying resolution to his story. Mark me down as someone who was dissatisfied with _Signs_.