What the?

Rating: 3/10 (30 January 2007)

I have to give Shayalaman credit as a true artist. His movies are always beautiful to look at, and it is clear he has artistic vision. In the case of "The Sixth Sense" he made perhaps the finest movie of its type I've ever seen. His consequent outings, however, have been sporadic at best. "Unbreakable" just didn't do it for me; maybe that just comes from a personal feeling that the whole super-hero thing is idiotic. And I'm not the sharpest guy around, but I had the plot twist in "The Village" figured out in the first few minutes. And "Lady in the Water" is a contemptible waste of time, money and talent.
Which brings us to "Signs". This movie does deliver some eerie moments. It shows how effective suggestion and quick glimpses can be in these days of scriptless CGI blockbusters. There are some fine moments here and there, and Mel Gibson who has since proved to certifiably insane or laughing all the way to the bank, or both, turns in a good mournful performance. Joaquin Phoenix is likable as usual. I couldn't dislike the movie based on its actors, but I did dislike it.
After successfully building tension, the director squanders it with silliness. Tin-foil hats and aliens who look less frightening than the Sleestacks from "Land of the Lost". And you can kill them with water? Who's bright idea was it to invade a planet with four-fifths ocean surface if water can kill you? I think the human race is in pretty good shape if we're invaded by Shayalaman's E.T.s, who can apparently cross the gulfs of interstellar space, but can't force their way into a locked basement, or land without making giant obtrusive patterns in cornfields. And a well-placed urine stream will dispatch them! Not like the guys in Spielberg's superior "War of the Worlds" remake. Those guys did some serious killing. Shayalaman's alien invaders gawk through kitchen windows into camcorders and hide in kitchen cabinets and stick their appendages out under the doors. Hey Mister Spaceman? You ever heard of the knife? Maybe the director was trying to make some statement that through their very alien-ness, the invaders were unaware of things we who are more accustomed to this environment know intuitively, but I'm not buying it. The humanoid shape, like an iguana in underoos, their apparent lack of any sort of battle plan, and their general ineptness do a lot to undercut their menace. I managed not to laugh out loud, but it took some effort. Lets hope this talented director turns out some better fare. He's certainly capable of it. But then so was Ed Wood.