Science fiction mingles with faith.

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2007)

M Night Shyamalan's SIGNS is a movie ostensibly titled for the worldwide crop circles that have mysteriously begun increasing in frequency, but a stronger argument can be made that the title refers to the signs from God that people of faith see in every day occurrences that atheists might dismiss as coincidences. The lead character, Graham, an Episcopal priest portrayed by Mel Gibson, says as much during the film.
In addition to finding one of these crop circles in their own field, Graham's faith has been shaken by a tragedy that he is trying to recover from, while raising his two young children with the help of his down on his luck brother, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix. The crop circles indeed portend something sinister, and the tension that builds as the family hunkers down and tries to survive is reminiscent of Hitchcock. We do not see the threat until the very end, and suspense is built with mundane dangers like asthma attacks, and sculpted by letting our imaginations fill the shadows and groans.
There are many types of science fiction, and the science fiction that takes a background role to its characters always has greater appeal. Also, there are many movies that approach the question of faith; those that attempt to persuade one side aren't as successful as those films that simply try to present a test of faith. SIGNS manages to do both, although the payoff for the faith subplot far surpasses that of the science fiction plot. Very few films combine science fiction with faith. SIGNS is much more successful than the Jody Foster vehicle, CONTACT, and SIGNS manages to present the test of faith in a manner that is believable and eloquent. In a pivotal moment during the film, Graham must decide if he was given a sign from God, and act on it. Audience members of faith will see the sign, atheists will see coincidence. Shyamalan beautifully makes this moment ambiguous, as are all such signs in life.