Imagine Close Encounter's farm scene, then multiply the terror by 10...

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 2003)

I missed Signs during its theatrical run, but did manage to read some reviews of the film, which were mixed at best. Guess I wasn't expecting much when I finally got around to renting the DVD. Boy, was I surprized! ** spoilers ahead!!** Don't know why all the bad reviews. Sure it's not Unbreakable, but that was a completely different genre. For a premise as superficial as a "War of the Worlds"-type alien invasion, this movie managed to really hit my gasp-button one more than several occasions. I suppose its the wonderful cinematography, or maybe Mr. Shyamalan's clever way of layering shots and keeping what we expect is there off camera (a la Jaws, Alien)long enough for the imagination to run amuck. The CNN-like presentation of the actual invasion also added to the terror in ways I wasn't expecting (that scene at the child's birthday-party in Brazil really sent a schock down the ole spino!) Alas, cheap scare tactics rear their ugly heads, but in the hands of such a talented director, it works somehow (who'd have thunk that the glimpse of an alien shin could be so chilling...) Luckily the quirky nature of the characters and some of the dialogue balances the tension out a bit,something a movie of this ilk always needs to set you up for the next scare. In the end, I guess the whole rekindling of the main character's faith could have been fleshed out a bit more, but less is more when such a serious theme is mixed with little green men from Mars, in my opinion. Verdict: maybe not the director's best movie as a whole, but for the genre it's an instant classic due to good pacing, clausterphobic setting and clever storytelling. Now, where's my tinfoil cap...