This is a bad sign, M. Night Shyamalan. A really bad sign!

Rating: 6/10 (13 April 2016)

Written and directed by the India-born director M. Night Shyamalan, this religious film cloaked in horror science-fiction garb was the beginning of the end of the director success in the box office. While, this movie didn't tank, it did get a lot of mixed messages from critics. For me, this movie wasn't that entertaining. It was really bland & disappointing. The movie tells the story of an ex-minister turn farmer, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) whom homestead might be the site of an oncoming alien invasion. Without spoiling the movie, too much, the settling of this film is indeed scary. However, along with the alien invasion plot, comes a moral journey of a man's loss of faith and the circumstances that help him regain his faith. This part of the film, really undermine the other plot, by making it, confusing and too complex for the general audience. Due to the miscommunication of these two separate stories, whenever the two parts try to mash together, it didn't work. A good example of this is the whole idea of aliens invading a planet, full of water, when they're supposedly hate water. Now, it would make a lot more sense, if these creatures were demons from hell, and they were invading a desert region? Better yet, if the film told us, that the chemicals in the water kills the aliens, not the water, but the movie doesn't give enough subtext to make it seem that way. Another is the fact that these creatures can't seem to open any doors. Wouldn't it make sense, if the film show us, that the reason why these supposedly, technologically advanced aliens can't get through the doors, is because, they are fallen angels!? After all, there is a verse in Exodus; where God told Moses to have the blood of an unblemished lamb put on the sides and tops of the door posts of all the Israelites, so the spirits will not killed their firstborns? It's would match better, than the way, Shyamalan badly wrote about it. In the end, this story makes it looks like these aliens possess traverse space, but lacks common sense and strategy when it comes to opening doors, and avoiding water. It's uneven. Even the whole idea of crops circles being first a hoax, only to find out that its real debate is questionable, at best. It still doesn't make sense, why they would do that. Unless, the aliens were too stupid, in attempting peaceful first contact, but lousiness, mess it up. Even, the human characters are somewhat idiotic. It's weird that they saw, one of the creature trying to get in the house, through the roof, earlier in the film, only for them, to forget to board it, later, when the home was getting attack by the aliens. That's bad! While the story doesn't cite itself as such, there are a large number of similarities between Signs and the "Hopkinsville Goblins" event in 1955. It's quite possible Shyamalan drew on it for inspiration, whether it's a true story or a hoax is largely immaterial to the movie. All, I know, is this movie has very-very-slow plot development pacing with large amount of psychological dialogue and little action. Yes, I know, this is meant to build the tension, but gee, it was hard to get through. Another thing that suck, about this movie is the acting, or in this case, the lack of acting. The creepy, bland, non-expressive reply from the children, Bo (Abigail Breslin) and Morgan (Rory Culkin) is so clichés. Honestly, what type of children, act like that? Even, the crazy, full of emotions, Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix was flat and boring. Nobody really shines. I think, the only things that kinda shine in this film is the music by composer James Newton Howard, the sound effects, and the visuals. Shyamalan's visual style, and in particular, his use of the long take and the following aspects of his mise en scène, his use of 'reflected images' and mirroring effects, is somewhat amazing. It set up, the uncomfortable mood or unworldly environment, so well. It heighten intense moments. Overall: While Signs contains the semantics of the science fiction and horror elements film. It's more of a message film that somewhat got lost, between the phrases of writing from script to screen. I really don't recommended watching. Unless, you like want to figure out the subtext of the film, or like really bad movies. For me, I never want to see this film, again. I just swing away.