Signs Fiction

Rating: Null/10 (31 January 2003)

A little history first. Saw the 6th Sense in the theaters and was absolutely knocked flat. With bated breath, I wait for Unbreakable and like so many others, came out of there disappointed. Signs is released and I miss it in the theaters, dismissing M. Night Shyamalan as a one-trick pony, even though the movie itself makes serious moolah. I ask around and received some generally positive reviews, with the ending polarizing just about everyone. The dvd is released and I pick it up, watching it about a week and a half later. I absolutely loved this movie. First off, Shyamalan is an actor's director. There is not one bad performance in this film and it's apparent early on that the actors themselves are being guided by a sure hand. I was especially impressed by the performances by the children. That little girl is absolutely adorable and gets my pick for cutest movie kid yet! Second, the mood of this film is eerie as all hell. The sound in this movie is awesome. All the major scenes in this movie use sound as its main force, creating a tense environment. I have a 5.1 surround setup at home and the cornfield scenes had me shivering with anticipation! Scenes in the house were well done in the sound department as well. The cinematography is great and it definitely has that look that his other two films share. Another thing that adds to the overall effect is the great score music by James Newton Howard. I kept commenting to myself while watching the movie about how great the music was. Great stuff! My personal favorite scene in this flick was the newscast of the birthday party video. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it but it was one of the moments where my jaw hit the floor. Now for my last comment and it's gonna be a spoiler-free riff on the ending so read on with no fear: Some people complained about the ending and personally it didn't bother me too much. I can see why people would feel it was a bit anti-climactic and in some ways, yes, it was. However, I think it was just right. After watching the movie, keep in mind what it was about. Was it really about the spooky, frightening realities within or was it about the life and inner workings of this family and what they meant to one another? I think this film was a great twist on what would normally be expected to have lots of action and destruction ala Independence Day. It's almost the opposite. Rating **** out of *****.