Nice build-up that leads to a disappointing climax.

Rating: 2/10 (12 August 2002)

There is much more to Signs than the previews and commercials would have you think. The creators of the film would have you believe it's this freaky movie filled with dark, tense scenes and scary encounters.
Well, partly true. Signs is not a nasty movie and not overly scary. Some parts will make you jump, some parts will make you shake. But I think the thing that satisfied me most about Signs was the total unexpected humor.
This movie is hilarious.
Instead of a sci-fi/thriller as displayed, I found a witty, funny, excellently built-up movie. The movie has a quick pace at first, as the beginning is not only funny (Joaquin Phoenix's rude awakening) but also freaky and absorbing. I was drawn into the movie after the opening titles.
Speaking of opening titles, I should get to the music. It is composed by James Newton Howard, who sets a delightfully chilling score that is not overly screechy such as Psycho's themes. Instead, it has a nice balance between overly horror and underly boring. The same theme is all throughout the movie, which can get kind of repetitive, but it's a very nice, creepy theme that suits the movie well.
The actors a do a magnificent job as a family torn apart by a death and by certain encounters. They are racked by family problems when these strange signs appear everywhere, making their not-so-normal life all the more stranger.
Although the movie builds up well, it has a very disappointing climax. I had an idea during the movie that it could have had a very nice plot twist (it all would turn out to be a hoax), but that didn't happen. I was fine with that, but the climax was not a very good end after all this building up. I did like how all the things came together in the end (watch the movie... no spoilers here!).
For one thing, it seemed too much like Independence Day, but still maintained originality.
Some things were left unexplained, like what was happening to the animals and what the aliens were really there for. Those didn't make sense.
All in all, a decent movie that can put you on the edge of your seat at times or cause you to burst with laughter or brim with tears (Graham's struggle for faith is one such moment). I say this movie is almost a must-see.