A huge disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (7 August 2002)

I have been a dedicated fan of M. Night Shyamalan since happening upon "The Sixth Sense" a few weeks before the (well-deserved) hype hit. I chalked up the flatness of his next venture, "Unbreakable," to the jitters that inevitably come with the pressures of fame.
But what is the excuse for "Signs," which despite its solid acting and beautiful cinematography, relies on a storyline so banal that it leaves the viewer feeling used? There are no surprises here. Unlike Shyamalan's earlier movies, which depended on neat twist endings and that eerie "Twilight Zone" feeling you get when the world isn't at all what it seems, Signs is as straightforward as a Sunday school lesson. And, I won't be ruining anything if I tell you that of course Father Hess (Gibson), in whose corn field the little green men land, finds his lost faith -- and just in the nick of time.
Which leads me to one last question: does anyone else detect a hint of the evangelical "Left Behind" series here?