Despite a few errors, it never fails to impress me.

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2010)

Using the mystic of Close Encounters, the suspense generating tricks from Jaws, and a skilled crew which includes, (DP Tak Fujimoto, and composer James Newton Howard) M. Night Shyamalan pulls through and delivers his best picture yet. Signs is not pretentious, nor does it intend to show off, or pull anything new. If fact, it feels more like a throwback to the late seventies-early eighties, when Spielberg brought the inhabitants of other worlds to ours. Signs is a slow mover, but it ain't a dull one. When it wants to, it can get inside your head, and when the moment is right, it goes bump. Hopefully this is not one that you will soon forget after viewing.
In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, farmer and former reverend Graham Hess, wakes one morning to discover crop circles in his cornfields. Before long, global news is reporting circles all over the planet. As controversy starts to emerge, Hess struggles to hold his family together. They are all still recovering from the death of Mrs. Hess six months back. The signs of terror continue to grow closer and closer, until they arrive at the doorstep. And The family (along with the rest of the world) fights for not only self control, but their lives.
Instead of showing the big picture like Close Encounters, Signs is far more subjective. Furthermore, while Spielberg was more keen on showing people's physical reactions to the arrival of something from another world, Shyamalan wants to show the psychological reactions, in particular that of Graham. His loss of faith in God, has turned him into a man with little or not hope, which is something he needs (and we all need) to help us in times of dire trouble.
Signs is an example of the right way to form a horror movie. Rather than making us jump every ten minutes with a random shocker, Signs takes its time and relies on the fact that we the viewers don't see the threat even though we know it is there (because we catch a glimpse of it every couple scenes)
As superbly crafted as it is, Signs is not without flaw. There are moments which feel highly unbelievable and contrived. for example, I strongly doubt that a TV newscaster would give a rough statement such as "Everything they wrote about in science books is about to chance." Also the manner in which the heroes manage to defeat the threat is not only cheap but it feels like a plot hole. (at least it is the only one).
On all other grounds, Signs is near-perfect. It blends drama, sci-fi, and horror, into an evocative little movie which is definitely a big step above Hollywood mainstream.