Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining But Confusing & Often Disappointing Thriller
Review: I saw Signs yesterday at the theater with my mother and we both left feeling a bit dissapointed and confused. The movie which is supposed to be about a man (played by Mel Gibson) who's family is being left with these out of world "signs", is actually a drama about an ex reverend / preist (???) who's lost all faith in God as well as control of his family. The loss of his wife seems to have left this man a bitter, faithless and cynical person who's only keeping it together with the help of his little brother (played by the enormously talented Joaquin Phoenix). The signs and his lack of faith and his past seem to weave together leading the audience to believe that there will be some great touching climax that explains it all. Sadly, there is not. In fact, many of the questions in the film are left unanswered and some things were just down right stupid. Example: He calls himself a reverend, but the people in his town treat him like a preist asking if he'll listen to their confessions and calling him father. I find this to be terribly disturbing since the heart of the story obviously has nothing to do with aliens or signs, but is about a man's faith and his family. Many times (mostly towards the end) there are scenes that try to be scary, touching and inspiring all at once and it's about this time in the movie where you realize that the film's great set up was all for nothing. M. Night Shyamalan has been very successful with past films making you think the story was going one way and then revealing secrets and twists to turn the story upside down. In past films it worked. This time, it has not. What was meant to be a story about signs from another planet is neither thought provoking or scary. The only thrills come from the tension built by the incredible actors, an eerie setting and a great score. The real story is about a faithless man losing control of his life and if M. Night had followed through with the story that he had been building, this would have been an excellant movie. Too bad for us he sells out in the end and ends up confusing the audience. By the time the film was over, the tears that were being shed by those around me who were hoping to see a triumphant and satisfying conclusion were quickly replaced by frowns and puzzled faces; the most clear sign of the entire experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Shmalayan is a born filmmaker
Review: I loved The Sixth Sense and (although I appear to be in the minority) also liked Unbreakable very much, so I was looking forward with great anticipation to Signs. I wasn't let down. This is a terrific War of the Worlds-type thriller. The pacing and the acting are sensational. Mel Gibson does a great job, matched by Joaquin Phoenix and the kids. There are scenes where you could cut the tension with a knife (and a knife plays a key role in one of the scenes in the movie). Overall, I'd highly recommend this movie to fans of suspense/thrillers.
Rating: 
Summary: Signs not quite a sixth sense!
Review: Good entertainment. Very good acting in all. Adorable little girl.
Story not as good or engaging as the sixth sense. Secondary story was actually better than the alien story.
Will probably buy the dvd when it comes out.
Rating:
Summary: Signs
Review: I thought this movie was very good. It was very well done. It was a great story and well as being intense at times. The acting was very good and although I'm a big Joaquin Phoenix fan and a Mel Gibson fan the movie for me was stolen by the little girl. She was adorable and had great lines deliverd well. I would definitely recommend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie.
Review: this movie has alot of scary parts. it has alot of funny parts. If you didnt know what it was about, i will tell you. Signs have been appearing all around the world. 1 suddenly shows up on mel's crops next to his house. Then more things have been coming up. There have been continuous sightenings in the air, and many sightening of lights in the air. The aliens are planing an attack. Mel gibson, his brother, and mel's son and daughter must hide from the attack. This is not an actionous movie. There aint no guns or army. You may want to let ur child see signs. if you do, they might get scared. This is a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Was "The Sixth Sense" a fluke?
Review: I have rarely been disappointed as much in a film as I was after seeing M. Night Shyamalan's latest, "Signs". From the heavy handed, film school level screenplay, the very bad CGI (which I won't go into detail about to avoid spoilers) and the, at times, bad acting by Mel Gibson, this film had me fidgeting in my seat almost from the get-go.I loved "The Sixth Sense" and considered it one of the best films of 1999. I was less enamored of "Unbreakable", though it had its admirable qualities. I just didn't buy the basic premise which, therefore, ruined the entire film for me. But here, Shyamalan has a hit a wall. There are so many glaringly amateurish moments in this film that I am amazed the studio allowed it to be released in this form. If it weren't for Joaquin Phoenix and the kids, this would have been a total disaster. Phoenix has matured greatly as an actor and he's the only character I cared about in this film. The kids were cute and precocious, but that's it. If you feel you must see this film, see a matinee or wait for the DVD. Rent it, though, because you will regret buying it. 4 out of 10 (for Phoenix and some nice cinematography).
Rating:
Summary: Joaquin Phoenix has done it again!
Review: Although most of the talk is about Mel Gibson and M. Knight Sha. I thought the star of the movie was Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Mel Gibson's brother in the movie. He is wonderful in the movie, giving the audience some of the best lines and proving he can be comical and sweet, not just evil, dark, and well... psychotic (like in his other roles)! He was excellent in Gladiator, but if historical epics are'nt your thing, go see Signs. The previews make it look like its a thriller, which it is. You will scream, and perhaps jump up in your seat. However, the movie is surprisingly funny.
Great job Joaquin! If you are reading this Leaf, give me a call.
Rating:
Summary: Good thriller, bad sci-fi
Review: This is another good, creepy movie from this director that will have you jumping out of your seat at times, but it has many weaknesses. The acting is good overall, but the characters seem mostly half thought out. Too much of the humor seems forced. There is some interesting philosophy, but the moralistic ending seemed a little trite to me. Being a sci-fi fan, I was disappointed by this aspect of the movie. There's nothing especially original here -- the aliens are just evil monsters with a corny Hollywood alien movie weakness that makes them easy to defeat. Though the trailer and title of the movie seemed to focus on the mystery of crop circles, the explanation for them is fairly uninteresting. I could go on about the lack of logic and originality of the sci-fi aspect of this movie, but science fiction isn't important in this movie, which is why it is treated so cursorily. This is just a psychological thriller about a family in deadly peril, and a man in the depths of a spiritual crisis. On that basis, it's worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Mel Could Have Bored the Aliens To Death..
Review: I had high hopes for this show but felt dissapointed by the agonisingly slow pace & poorly written screenplay. The characters and their responses to this extraordinary situation were simply not very believable and the whole thing just left me thinking "who cares?" And the part where they boarded up the entire house and then retreated to the cellar was a direct rip-off from'Night of The Living Dead' - a far superior suspense thriller/horror. I feel this director is way over-rated. His films are all so pretentiously self-important but the underlying idea behind this latest one was shallow shallow shallow. I feel the real truth behind crop formations is far more interesting than this dreadful movie which left me with no food for thought whatsoever concerning the phenomenon.
Rating:
Summary: Signs points to instant success
Review: Of course the big question on everyones minds is, "Does Signs live up to all the pre-release hype it's gotten?" After seeing Signs with my kids, I happy to say, "Yes, it does." The story revolves around a man (Mel Gibson), his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mel's two children. The mother is out of the picture because she was killed in a terrible accident six months prior. And Mel (who's character is/was an episcopalean Father) has lost his faith in God. Suddenly, strange circular patterns show up in their corn fields, and in corn fields around the world. We never really leave the small farm where Mel and his family live, seeing only TV shots of what is happening to the outside world. Lights are seen over Mexico and other nations. Unexplainable and freaky. An alien is captured on film and broadcast across the nation. Mel's dogs begin acting aggressive and strange footsteps scamper across his roof. They seal themselves into the house, nailing all the windows and doors shut. Waiting for the end. The end of everything. The serious sideline to the movie (the death of Mel Gibson's character's wife) is vital to our understanding of the human condition. Joaquin Phoenix delivers a stunning performance as a washed-up baseball player who returns home to help his brother run the farm after the death of Mel's wife. To call this film Science Fiction is almost a crime. There are no ray guns, or high tech scenes involving space flight or mind control. I'd list it more as a dramatic thriller than anything else. But a darn good one. So how does a man get his faith back? Can some of these characters tell the future? Is that M. Night Shyamalan acting in the film? How vital was the little girl's saying, "There's a monster outside my room, can I have a drink of water."? Watch and hold onto your seats. It's funny, tearful, scarey and dramatic, all at the same time. The best film of the year so far.
|
