Pleasantly Surprised

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2002)

After having The Sixth Sense spoiled for me and Unbreakable spoil my weekend, I was not buying into all of the M. Night Shyamalan hype about his new release, "Signs"; I should have. This was one of the best movies I've seen in a very, very long time. The characters are well-developed and perfectly acted (particularly by Mel Gibson). The writing and themes are very well thought, tying the story's sci-fi aspect in with the character's own personal struggles. The cinematography is fantastic. The sounds (and silence) are articulate and frightening. The suspense wells up and grips you like a good Hitchcock film, never relying on unneeded special effects or cheap thrills. See this movie if you haven't; it's definitely worth it.