M Night Shyamalan fans will not be disappointed (except perhaps by the ending)

Rating: 8/10 (21 September 2002)

Mel Gibson plays Graham Hess, a man who lives on a farm with his two young children and brother (Joaquin Phoenix). One day, the news headlines on television reveal that large crop circles have appeared around the world (one of these has appeared right outside the Hess' house!) The world speculates that there are only two possible explanations: either it is a hoax or signs of an alien invasion. We also find out that Graham Hess was previously a priest but lost faith when his wife died. The events in the film cause him to embark on a voyage of discovery which helps him regain his faith by the end.
Having been a fan of M Night Shyamalan's two previous films The Sixth Sense' and Unbreakable', I was eager to check out his latest offering. This director has a very distinctive style which is again apparent in Signs': he uses strong child actors; takes time in the story-telling; focuses on only a small number of characters and there is a flashback sequence in the final reel. Part of the fun of his films is also looking out for the director's cameo appearance! It is a style which I find very effective but I do know some people who have found the build-up to his stories too slow and uninteresting.
The two male leads give engaging and subtle performances. The child actors are also good; they are never irritating and very believable this comes as a surprise considering the son is played by one of the Culkin brothers! I found the story both suspenseful and engrossing. It is also quite a scary film in places going for suggestion of what cannot be seen in the shadows rather than in-your-face' scares. All the audience gets for most of the film is strange noises on an old baby monitor and glimpses in reflections on a kitchen knife and the television set. There is a sense of the family being in real isolation with their link to the outside world being provided only really by news updates on television while outside there is an unexplained presence which is made more threatening by a picture of a house in flames in the son's extra-terrestrial textbook which looks eerily like the Ness' home.
The only let-down in the film is perhaps the ending which gave me the sense that the director couldn't be bothered with anything fancy this time round. Without giving too much away I can only describe the ending as being too convenient.