Another M. Night gem

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2002)

Reading through the preceding comments it strikes me that many people are evaluating this film on what it's not. It's "not as good as Sixth Sense" or it's "not really about alien invasions and crop circles" or it's "not an action film like Independence Day" (--for which we should all be thanking our preferred version of the Supreme Being, in my opinion!) And many more are missing points that are perfectly clear (ahem: the reason Gibson's character doesn't want to use cusswords is because he was a minister, not because he's incapable of rage: his outburst to his kids later on is *perfectly* believable).--I don't know what movie all these folks saw, but the one I saw was one of the best this year, and doesn't need to apologize for anything it's not.
The phrase that keeps coming to my mind is Fox Mulder's "I want to believe." So much of this movie is about belief and faith, about people's willingness--and unwillingness--to believe. Graham Hess' loss of his wife has caused him to lose his faith, not only in God, but in life; he can't believe. Little Morgan unhesitatingly accepts a writer's speculations about the nature and intent of the alien invaders; he needs to believe. People around the world take shelter (as in the classic War of the Worlds, which is referenced) in places of worship. But M. Night is not leading us toward religious faith only, but toward a much wider sense that "there are no coincidences" --that there is reason to believe in fate, destiny, a vast and mysterious web that connects even the most seemingly unconnected details.
There is tremendous build-up of fear and suspense, and a surprisingly large dose of humor (Gibson in particular does topnotch work in that regard: I loved his "Raar! I'm insane with rage!" routine as he tries to intimidate what he thinks are trespassers, and his speech to the pantry door). The depiction of one family's response to a worldwide crisis --barricade yourselves indoors, devour reference books and watch CNN 20 hours a day; heck, I know I would--was completely believable. But the real process of the film is Graham's slow re-examination of his wife's death, especially of her last words, and his eventual understanding that they meant much more than they seemed to mean; that there really are no coincidences, and that even this seemingly random tragedy was a sign, with great meaning and gifts to give. It's not a head-snapping twist ending like the ones in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable (OK, there, even I did it =), but just as profound and breathtaking in its implications.
And that's not even mentioning the superb craft of the film itself, its sheer no-background-noise silence in which the least sound is magnified, its shadows and subtlety and use of patterns in everyday life to convey the sense of signs all around us. (--dig the curtains and the doorframe; dig the test pattern Merrill sees on the TV when all channels have ceased broadcasting; does any station in the USA still use those? but you know M. Night couldn't resist using it because of its wonderful arcane look, like a crop circle itself, or some sort of mystical sigil...)
From my new favorite director, a gem that deserves your attention.