It was not meant for a mass audience...

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2008)

That is the reality. Shyamalan is basically trying to package a warning/message in a commercial cinema package, and it won't work. Especially to our highly consumption based, capitalist society. I remember a guy leaving the cinema in front of me saying, "That was stupid. Plants are stupid." Sure dude. I agree the chances of this story unfolding in real life may be remote, but remember that the world around us is not truly in our control either. There are ramifications for everything we do to our surrounding. People of faith also realize that sooner or later, we'll all be faced to realize that the world is not our possession. The film is NOT preachy, as some people contend. Obviously, these individuals have not seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Happening has a slow, languished pace that makes you think, and that's not something audiences enjoy doing. They'd prefer the trees turning into monsters that attack the main characters. True, there are many things that I did not understand after the first viewing, and the film is not perfect, but that's what good cinema is all about. It invites you to return multiple times to explore new themes and challenge what you previously liked or disliked. Looking forward to my next viewing.
Side Note: For the record, of all of Night's flicks I agree he went horribly wrong with Lady in The Water. Signs was superficial and does not hold up on repeated viewing, but this one is great.