Signs point to yes! (Some spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 2002)

SIGNS(2002)(4/5 stars)

Rarely does a film come along that is truly great by all means, even if flawed. M. Night Shyamalan's new Summer hit SIGNS is just that.

Mel Gibson turns in a wonderful performance as Graham Hess, an ex- priest (of what domination we never firmly grasp) who loses his faith after his wife dies. Now he lives with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) on a farm in Philadelphia with his two children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin). After finding crop circles in his cornfields, weird things start to happen all leading up to one of the best and most under rated cinematic conclusions I've seen in years.
The acting in Signs itself makes it worthy of critical acclaim. Mel Gibson presents his best performance we've seen in years, and Joaquin Phoenix (who got an Oscar Nom for the 1999 film Gladiator) is superb as a humorous, but responsible brother to Graham. Rory Culkin - the brother of Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin - acts better than his brother ever did, especially considering the emotional scenes. Abigail Breslin lights up the screen, one scene in particular with Gibson when she asks why her father talks to her mother sometimes. Another great performance by all the actors is in one scene at dinner, in which they all have a bit of a feud. It's terrific acting at it's best.
M. Night Shymalan, who directed, wrote, produced, and acted in this film is one of the best directors to emerge into the film industry in years. What separates Shymalan from the rest is that his approach at filmmaking is genuine and very original. He truly loves his job, and we can tell he obviously enjoys doing what he does for a living. You see, Signs isn't about aliens attacking Earth, what crop circles come from or their purpose, etc. or anything you'd think. Signs is about an ordinary man, who loses his faith, and then finds it again. That is what this film is about. We aren't presented with a horror film about aliens attacking, or any real action sequences involving this subject. We are presented with a man and his family, and what they would do. We don't want to see E.T, nor INDEPENDECE DAY, or such horror / sci-fi / action films like ALIEN and PREDATOR. Though most of those films are great, we've seen it before, and that's what makes Signs different from other alien films, and what makes us interested in it. SIGNS ISN'T REALLY ABOUT ALIENS. It's how a man finds his faith again IN THIS situation. Shymalan just took a subject he found interesting, popped in a family in the middle, and continued his brilliant message on screen. I must agree with the critics and audiences around the globe, Shymalan is the next Hitchcock. He presents us scenes in which he drags out the invisible slowly, then unleashes the full picture (like the beginning field sequence, in which we are slowly presented the crop circles). Another aspect of this film, is proving Night has a knack for acting. In one scene, he delivers an emotional scene to Gibson. Shymalan and Gibson must work again together soon. I hope Night at least gets an Oscar nom for best director, Gibson for best actor, and Phoenix for supporting actor. THIS they all deserve an award for. It's a truly great film.
Night also has a knack for making something normal and mundane very horrifying and scary. The soundtrack by James Newton Howard is amazingly eery. Much like the classic Hitchcock films, the soundtrack changes the mood of the audience member in their seat. It can spellbind them, amaze them, scare them, haunt them, or make them feel depressed. In SIGNS case, most of the film is filled with haunting and eery music, and uses this ancient film technique to it's advantage.
The aliens, though some criticize of being very unrealistic, are presented perfectly, not showing them fully on screen, until when you least expect (some say naked aliens just look dumb, but hey, what about E.T?). One interesting part of the film, is in which a baby monitor accidentally picks up aliens speaking in `clicks,' which is how we suspect they communicate between each other. It provides a nice aspect of communication through the film not only with humans, but that these creatures are real and they do communicate, much like us.
I will tell you, Signs does have some flaws that are spotted easily, and we wonder how a director like Night could have let these through into the film. One would wonder why Gibson's character doesn't arm himself with more of a weapon than a knife, but that is a forgivable flaw. I won't point out any more of the flaws I spotted, because it might ruin the film for you in case you don't spot them. Just let this be a warning, there are flaws. Just put them aside if and when you spot them and have fun.
Unlike a lot of movies, Signs also has an excellent ending. When the credits start rolling, the message comes clear across, and you realize Shymalan delivered what he wanted to be delivered. Though it may disappoint some 6th Sense' fans because it uses a different technique overall, I enjoyed SIGNS better. All in all Signs does have some flaws, but if you put them aside you can find yourself having a very enjoyable experience at the movies. I did at least. The storytelling is superb, the setting and musical score is haunting, the acting is one of a kind, and the overall effect it accomplished on me and other audience members, proves that great sci-fi/horror/drama films can still be made right. I give SIGNS 4/5 stars-enjoy the film, don't criticize it's flaws.
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