When will Shyamalan direct a REAL thriller again?

Rating: 3/10 (1 November 2002)

The day before I viewed Signs, I saw The Sixth Sense for the third time. This made me think of the way Shyamalan's verve has been evolving - in my opinion, on a downwards spiral. In The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan knew what a thriller was all about - to thrill the viewer. Instead of scary monsters, troubled people who don't realize they're dead are used. In Signs, things get blurred. Stuck between the thrill and the spoof of itself, this movie wastes whichever creativity one could expect. Is it AT ALL credible that the sequence of events wich lead to understanding that coincidences have indeed a purpose can be put to a serious use in this plot? Haven't movies such as Julio Medem's Los Amantes Del Circulo Polar treated the same plot device in a much better way? Top this with the all too frequent humurous moments (which completely wipe away any seriousness one might feel towards this movie) and you've got a useless piece of would-be thriller with occasional jumpy frights. As for the acting, things just don't get any better. Movie after movie, Mal Gibson only proves to be Hollywood's most wasted talent. As for Joaquin Phoenix, he surely needs to rise from his ashes. I can only think of two things that salvage (though not save) Signs. First of all, Tak Fujimoto's cinematography - by far the greatest artist to be perceived here. Secondly, Shyamalan's own directing skills, wich remaining intact. But one does not have to look further than some of Spielberg's movies or Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down to understand that fine craftsmanship does not necessarily make a good film. Shyamalan needs to find his twist of inspiration, which seems to be further away in every new movie he directs.