Signs of Things to Come

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2002)

There was a point near the beginning of "Signs" when I thought to myself, "I have no idea where this movie is going to end up...I'm leaving myself in the hands of the director." Within the first few minutes of the movie I found myself engrossed in what was taking place. The strange happenings begin taking place right from the beginning and each event makes you wonder what will happen next right up until the end.
As far as the acting goes, Gibson and Phoenix both turned in great performances in their roles as a doubtful preacher and former minor league baseball star. It was hard to believe that this same Phoenix played such a completely different role as the emperor Commodus in "Gladiator". The two children were also very believable.
As for the story-line, Shyamalan really shines here in developing his characters along with the progression of the story. The more events that take place, the deeper you see into emotions and motivations of the Hess family. As much as it may seem like a movie about crop circles or aliens, it is a movie about people finding their place and discovering the importance of who they are. This is a theme that has run through all of Shyamalan's movies. Unfortunately, in our society that breeds sequels for a public that desires to see clones, many would be happy just to see Shyamalan write and direct The Sixth Sense Part 2 and get it over with. Signs is a different tale from either of his other movies and still clearly delivers his message. If one can understand that Shyamalan was trying to get something across about people instead of setting the audience up for a shocking ending, then maybe all of his movies could be enjoyed even more. The ending to "Signs" wrapped everything up nicely which was the only thing I had predicted from Shyamalan. I look forward to seeing what he does next.