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Signs (Vista Series)

Signs (Vista Series)

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: SIGNS, WHAT SIGN ??
Review: THIS IS A REALLY BAD MOVIE. MEL GIBSON'S ACTING IS FINE, BUT IT'S THE DIRECTING AND PLOTS THAT REALLY SPOILS THE WHOLE THING.IS THIS A MOVIE ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION, SUSPENSE OR A THRILLER, NONE !! EVERYTHING JUST DON'T ADD UP AND MAKE SENSE.
ALIENS CAME FROM MILLIONS OF LIGHT YEARS AWAY AND CAN'T EVEN BREAK A THIN WOODEN DOOR; THEY (ALIENS) WERE SO WELL PREPARED FOR THE INVASION BUT COME AND GO IN A MATTER OF FEW HOURS BECAUSE THEY FELT FRUSTRATED (JUST CAN'T BREAK THAT DAME DOOR) AND, OH , THEY ARE AFRAID OF WATER. I GUESS THEY NEVER STUDY THEIR HOMEWORK AT ALL ! FAITH LOST AND REGAINED AFTER MEL GIBSON WITNESSED THE ALIEN INVASION. WHAT??
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS MOVIE RECEIVED SO MANY GOOD CREDITS, SIGNS, THAT'S A BAD SIGN !!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Signs or Sighs?
Review: The begining of the movie was great and it promised more to come but about 1/2 though the movie it did not deliever. Mel Gibson was not at his best and the other actors seem as if they didn't know what expression to put on. It began to drag 3/4 the way though the movie and the end bombed out. If this movie was an attempt to scare you it didn't and the only highlights of the movie was the humor put in now and then that brought a smile. I suggest you rent the movie and if you have a different oppion than mine... buy it, if not only to put another few dollar bill in producers wallet so he can get enought money this time to produce a worth while movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: All 'Signs' Point to Other Films
Review: One of the problems that I had with SIGNS was to classify it. Parts of it reminded me of standard aliens-attack-earth thrillers, new age spiritual discovery epics, and hide-out-in-the-basement horror shows from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Director M. Night Shyalaman tries with middling success to meld this variety of genres into what he clearly hoped was a thriller. Instead, what he presents is a movie that hides a sea of logical flaws behind several scenes that are effective nail biters. These flaws become more apparent only after the closing credits roll, and the viewer takes the time to digest what he just saw.

SIGNS portrays a world that suffers from a crisis of moral defection. Mel Gibson is a priest whose wife dies horribly in front of his eyes, thereby causing him to lose faith in the power of prayer and the omnipotence of a benevolent God. While he struggles with this crisis of conscience, the earth is invaded by a race of decidedly low-tech aliens who are so fumble-fingered that the viewer wonders how these plug-uglies could cross the street unaided, let alone bridge the intergalactic gap between the stars. In a scene ripped straight out of George Romero, director Shyalaman locks Gibson, his brother Joaquin Phoenix, and Gibson's two young children into a basement with only a radio to fill them in on the details of the ongoing crisis. Not content with that, Shyalaman then goes to the morally uplifting ending of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS to punctuate the belief that what distinguishes humanity from all hostile ETs is our fundamental belief in a higher power that tells us that all elements in our lives are intertwined in a spiritual tapestry that does not allow for unlikely coincidence. Gibson and Phoenix, however, are surprisingly effective in reacting to a claustrophobic house that comes under alien assault.

After watching this movie, I concluded that if the next alien invasion were to happen along the lines of SIGNS, then human beings have little to fear from a bunch of aliens who could learn a much needed lesson from John Wayne in how to kick a door down.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Gripping and thought-provoking
Review: Cliff Notes: Signs Movie Musings

M. Night Shyamalan's latest film is hard to categorize. Part philosophizing, part science fiction (or is it about the supernatural instead? heh, heh), part horror, part ... in the end, the best description is suspense, because a good part of the movie is "guess what the plot is really about" - not necessarily a bad thing.

I've read a lot of complaints about the film (although most critics liked it), but I'm convinced the complainants were simply not paying attention - strange, because although this film is relatively slow-paced (just a little faster than Unbreakable), you'll be glued to the screen. The script is well written and you'll be constantly wondering where the plot is going, what Mr. Shyamalan is trying to say. Is it about groundless paranoia? Will the military foolishly start a war? Are the strange creatures benevolent, malevolent, not aliens at all?

There seem to be two kinds of critics complaining about the film. The first kind does not get what the film is really about. They complain it's not great science fiction, that the plot devolves into chasing aliens, and so on. But these complaints only reveal that they have failed to grasp what this film is about. Get this straight - it's not a science fiction movie. The sci-fi element is only there to provide a framework for the story, the means of telling a parable.

The second kind of critic gets the point of the film, but does not like it at all. Ironically, this is also what the film is about: denial.

At the core is a story about a pastor (Mel Gibson), someone whose whole life concerns faith, undergoing a crisis of faith - a battle which, at the outset, he has in fact lost - and the effects of that bitterness on himself and his family. (This leads to a couple of emotional outbursts which can be unsettling to younger viewers.) We are led to ask: does God really preside over our most painful moments? How could there possibly a good reason for some tragic, even horrific, events?

Then strange things begin to happen which seem at first to have no relation to this plot whatsoever. Strange figures scamper around his homestead. Crop circles appear in his cornfields. His dogs have a hard time of it. What is happening? Thus begins Mr. Shyamalan's roundabout journey about faith, despair, life's meaning (or the lack thereof), denial, and hope, seasoned with dashes of fright and suspense.

In the first part of the film, the ex-pastor , Father Hess, explains that he has lost his faith because of a terrible accident, in which a loved one's dying words open his eyes to the meaninglessness and randomness of life. But at the end, we see that he has not been entirely honest with himself, and it is this realization that could be their salvation. So another message of this movie is that unbelief is not necessarily a choice born of reason but from bitterness, a choice which can thereafter radically skew our view of reality.

There is also an interesting dialogue between the main character and his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) concerning "two groups of people," and how their outlook on life affects their lives. The clarity of this exchange will be disturbing to those who deny God yet continue to live as though their lives can still have meaning, trying to drown out the logical conclusion of their views: absurdity and hopelessness.

The characters are interesting and sympathetic, with the kids providing comedy in their serious, childlike way. A tragic death is described and partially shown without graphic detail or gore; as mentioned above, there are a couple of intense emotional flashes. An extraterrestrial being loses a couple of fingers.

All in all, an interesting movie which will provide some chills and moments to kick off philosophical discussions.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Do you get it?
Review: Spoilers below, don't read if you haven't seen it.
For all of you that say the ending was dull, I feel sorry for you. The ending was the best part of the movie. Graham Hess realizing the "SIGNS" God was sending him of His existance. God warned him thru his dying wife. God made his children the way they were so the family could survive this ordeal. God made it possible for his brother to be there to help fight this battle. This movie is more about Gods mysterious ways than about aliens. The title itself has new meaning after watching Graham Hess' faith restored. If you didn't like the ending, or wanted more special effects, watch it again. Watch it for the story, and the lesson.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderfully thrilling
Review: Despite what SOME people would say, this is one of the best movies ever. Normally I stay away from the scary stuff. Not because I'm a wuss, but because it never intrested me. Well when I saw this movie in the theater not only did I refuse to let my feet touch the ground, but I was gasping with surprise every five minutes. This is nothing like the other alien movies where everything is blunt and direct. This one has a sublety that makes you believe this could really happen. It keeps you wide eyed and on the edge of your seat. And I for one thought Mel Gibson was believable and anything but boring!!

One little tip.... You absolutely must watch this in the dark!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MUST SEE!
Review: This is truly an excellent movie from beginning to end! Everything about this movie was top notch! Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout! You'll watch it again and again! Buy this movie and share it with everyone you know!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: My Two Cents on Signs
Review: At the risk of adding to the some 507 rants on this page, I'm going to add my two cents to the debate. Signs was neither the worst movie that I've ever seen in my life, nor the best. But it was a disappointment, as it revealed that one of the most startlingly talented directors to come around the the last few years may have been a one-hit wonder. Shamalyan's Sixth Sense was a beauty of a movie, creepy without being gory, beautifully acted (even by Bruce Willis, who I usually think is pretty wooden) and with a twist ending that illuminates the entire movie. Even now that I've seen it several times, the ending is still powerful and changes the movie from a mere ghost story to a work of art. Unbreakable, Shamalyan's followup, was hugely disappointing to me. There was tons of creepy atmosphere but 'surprise' ending felt like a cheat rather than a revelation.

Signs suffers from the same drawbacks as Unbreakable, though it is a better movie I think. First of all, the performances are better from Gibson, Phoenix and the kids...especially the little girl. But the whole premise of the movie begins to creak about half way through (I'm trying not to give away the ending here, so I apologize if I'm a bit nebulous.) and by the end, I don't much care about any of it.

My biggest problem with this movie, however, is it's vacuous spiritual viewpoint. The emotional center of the story revolves around Mel Gibson, a former clergyman who lost his faith when his wife was killed in a truly horrifying accident. The spiritual message of this movie is that everything happens for a reason and events that look superficially tragic can end up as blessings. This sounds good...we moderns like this because it comforts us in the the face of the senseless tragedies of contemporary life. But as presented in this movie, the theological issues are full of holes. (DON'T READ ANY FARTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING) Shamalyan imagines a world in which people are puppets in some way, in which the tragic death of Gibson's wife provides the seeds that save the rest of his family. But it ignores the suffering of others. Are we to assume that somehow there's meaning and purpose to Gibson's life that others who were slaughtered didn't possess? Are some people allowed miracles while others are just fodder for invading aliens? This kind of thological view point actually turns to jelly when looked at closely.

While I can't state it unequivocally, I believe this viewpoint to be actually erroneous and even dangerous. It leads to a feeling that some people are more "special" to God or whomever, than others. The message of most religions at there core, even Christianity, is not this at all. No one is more special to God than anyone else, and, while I do believe in an ultimate meaning behind all things, I'm not sure that the signs can be read as literally or as patly as in this movie. Real spirituality is a much deeper mystery than what is presented here.

Rant aside, I wouldn't say this is a movie that you should avoid. It's not horrible. But don't take it too seriously, especially it's "spiritual" point of view. The whole movie withers under any intellectual scrutiny.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Movie makes you think
Review: Not that this movie makes you think that "others" are out there, but it also makes you think about your own faith and the coincidence's that we all have throughout our lives. The movie was very suspensful and had a great ending. I would say that if you want to spend a night watching "spooky" movies, I would rent this one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Get a grip
Review: Just some questions:
If you knew aliens were coming to your house, would you let your small children vote on whether to go?
If you knew they were coming wouldn't you arm yourself, even with a kitchen knife? Wouldn't you call your neighbors, the cops, or the army?
If you were an alien with the capacity to build starships with cloaking devices, yet had a severe allergy to water would you land on a planet that's mostly water? Wouldn't you wear a spacesuit, in case of rain or splashing?
And by the way, how would you breathe the 95% humiidy type air in Pennslyvania in the summer?
And by the way how about remembering to bring weapons?


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