Signs is definitely overrated.

Rating: 3/10 (19 September 2003)

CAUTION: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
When I went into the theater to see this movie, I was expecting an X-Files-esque alien story, with lots of shadow play and psychological suspense. I thought
there would be a lot more buildup from the crop circles than there is. I was disappointed. Signs has potential, but that's all there is. This movie tries to be a family story, a sci-fi thriller, and an underdog-overcoming-the-odds tale. Each of these genres has its merits, but not when spliced together. Signs has many good points, such as the first, say, half an hour. Unfortunately, M. Night Shyamalan tries to do too much with it. In the course of the movie, I started to care less and less about the characters. I didn't care about their fears and past misfortunes, and I certainly didn't care what became of them. I also began noticing more than a few
inconsistencies in the plot, not to say blatant hypocrisies. WARNING:
SPOILERS ARE APPROACHING! First of all, if the aliens melt when they touch
water, wouldn't the nighttime dew in the cornfields kill them? What about the fact that water vapor is in the air? Wouldn't their skin melt? Why are they kidnapping creatures that are 80 percent water? Why are they attacking a
planet which has two thirds of its surface covered in water? Another problem I have with the monsters is that they have mastered interstellar travel, yet they can't figure out how to break into a boarded-up house. Finally, (SPOILER!
SPOILER!) one of these supposedly advanced beings gets beaten by a guy
swinging a baseball bat. A freakin baseball bat!!! Has anyone even heard of guns? Why didn't the army try shooting them, for God's sake? My major
problem with Signs, however, was the interjection of mushy spiritual crap at
moments of suspense. Family film parts absolutely kill suspense, and beat its corpse with a stick. As I say, there are good parts of this film, but the director should stick to doing one thing at a time, and not try to please everyone all at once.