Mr Shyamalan's new essay on purpose and destiny

Rating: Null/10 (17 September 2002)

Mr Shyamalan continues his essay on purpose and destiny, of people and acts. The Sixth Sense was about a spirit-seeing gifted boy who ignores his gift has a purpose : to help the spirit in their last task. Unbreakable was about a depressing man who cannot be harmed or hurt. He needs to find his purpose in life in order to retrieve happiness.
Signs is less about the person in itself than it is the purpose of our acts, should they appear deceiving or futile. Are there such things as luck or coincidence, or are our every moves dictated by something beyond us that gives meaning to the acts we perform?
Hollywood requirements therefore dictate Mr Shyamalan a proper setting for his masterpieces. Signs is about crop circles in the field of a Clergyman...and aliens. The Armageddon pictured by a swarm of lights in the sky, and every channel broadcasting the "attack" are common occurance and were already seen in ID4. But frankly, there is no further comparison between the 2 movies (a bit like trying to compare X-men and Unbreakable). The whole movie takes place almost only in a single house, and, thanks God, no overswollen patriotism and aerial fight!
Could have been a very scary movies if the games of shadow, noise and space would not have been disrupted by alternating funny moments and silly acts. But 18yo restricted shoot-them-up scary movie was not the aim of Mr Shyamalan, and all in one this remains a good movie with a surprising end.
The cast is good, without Mr Willis this time, as Mel Gibson is probably more suitable for a Corn-farmer-single-father-Father.