Outstanding film-making. Period!

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2008)

Signs is a 2002 science fiction thriller film written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was one of the highest grossing movies of that particular year, and garnered critical acclaim worldwide. The film stars Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. Shayamalan himself also has a small, yet crucial, role in the film.
Signs is a more personal take on a worldwide event. The film delves into certain events that really occurred, giving them a science fiction turn (Read: The crop circles which caused a worldwide uproar in the 1970's). Once again, like most Shayamalan movies, Signs is visually terrific! It's edge of the seat value is off the chart. The film has as little plot as possible, and all of its time is concentrated on building up the characters. The fear and the tension it creates is the work of a master film-maker. There are no flashy special effects. It is all Tak Fujimoto's moving photography; and an outstanding background score from Howard Newton Shore, which, without changing its main tune, is both scary and comforting. Straight from the opening credits, Signs is, simply put, a work of art.
Whether it is the sudden shot of a figure standing on the rooftop in the darkness, the sound of a dog barking, the sound of the wind, a thump, a reflection - everything is done perfectly in order to create something scarier than any blood-and-guts gore movie you've ever seen. The sequence at the Brazilian kid's Birthday party - I almost ran out of the theatre after seeing it. Like the newscaster puts it, "What you are about to see may disturb you." I cannot put into words how brilliant a movie Signs is.
10/10!