Well worth it if you're into spooky, eerie films that cover horror and science fiction.

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2007)

Signs is the third film from Shyamalan and the third that I've seen from him. After an impressive debut with The Sixth Sense and a horrid more recent instalment called Lady in the Water, Signs is actually somewhere in the middle in terms of overall quality. It takes some conventions from both films but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It has all the slow, character driven build up revolving around a single setting (like in Lady in the Water) but it also has, at times, that eerie, uncanny feeling The Sixth Sense contained.
The mystery surrounding the odd circles found outside is interesting and maintains a healthy amount of suspense and intrigue. Something a little more disturbing and unsettling, however, is a lot more closer to home. The amount of glasses of water that build up inside the house and the way in which the very young little girl claims that 'they're contaminated' or something to that effect is something very simple done in a very eerie way. It's complemented by the lighting and the way nobody in the family ever smiles or seems happy.
As the film unfolds, clues are presented to us and the characters but neither of us are entirely sure of what is going on. The baby monitor is a good example. Up to this point, nobody in the world knows who's doing what or what is going on but over this family's baby monitor, there are some eerie, odd sounding noises that one member of the family actually identifies. Some other family members have other ideas and even we; the audience are allowed to make of it what we will which I thought was quite clever.
Onto the characters and the children in particular: the kids seem to be too smart for their own good. Where the adults and brothers of Graham Hess (Gibson) and Merrill Hess (Phoenix) are busy suspecting rival neighbour farmers; the children are busy reading up on extra-terrestrials and solving it themselves  this is also hinted at later on in the film when Merrill is watching television (allowing people to tell him what to make of it all) whilst the children are busy predicting what the crop circles mean and what might happen next - they're often correct, as well.
As Signs builds and builds, its divulge into past events that explain the undeniable feeling of depression in the house is cleverly revealed as is the tension built up for the film's climax which plays out like Night of the Living Dead or quite possibly any film from the 'Dead' trilogy. I'm not too sure how I'd react in a situation like that involving basements and extra terrestrials but I know for one thing that I'd have some sort of weapon lined up  this is tackled later on but only when the pressure is off to a certain extent and when they're out-numbering the critters.
Signs is a good film on the whole, with some impressive tension built up along with good lighting, likable characters that you get a feel for and some clues thrown in at the beginning that add up very simply if thought through.