other critics

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2002)

I just saw SIGNS with my wife on Labor Day. We enjoyed the film but did feel the ending was somewhat flat. Now, that I've had some time to think about it. Perhaps this is more a "sign" of our expectations of having some big twist at the ending like The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable. I'm not sure this is a fair expectation to have of Mr. Shyamalan. What I found remarkable about his style is that he is becoming a master of suspense. Perhaps the Hitchcock of the 21st century? He certainly likes to show up in his movies like Hitchcock. While I think the ending was somewhat flat, I truly appreciated the non-gore factor to the movie. Without giving much away, Mel Gibson's character has a violent response in one scene and does something that should cause a lot of blood but instead we get a scene similar to one done by Hitchcock where the blood is less of a factor than the actual shock. Its a nice touch in a medium that tries all too often to out gross and out disgust the fans. Is this a horror movie? Is it a sci-fi movie or is it a "ghost" movie? You decide! I think Mr. Shyamalan has created a movie that looks at earth shattering events from the eyes of a single family. All too often Hollywood likes to see the world from the eyes of the President, executive or entire government view. Its nice for a change to see how a world event like "War of the Worlds" or the Second Coming would be dealt with by real people having REAL reactions. So for the critics, wake up! This is how people would really deal with this stuff unlike Independence Day or The Omen.