Rating: 
Summary: Well crafted but hindered by illogical script
Review: "Signs" is a sci-fi thriller which succeeds on a cinematic level because its director, M Night Shyamalan, is, like Hitchcock, Wilder, Scorsese, Spielberg and others, a master of the art of making movies. Every gifted filmmakers, past and present, does not produce a winner every time, and I suspect that "Signs" will be viewed in later years as one of Shayamalan's weaker entries. The problem is a script, which he wrote, that is intriguing but not completely thought out. There are too many obvious lapses in logic, and these prevent the viewer from becoming immersed in the story. [I can't go into much detail without ruining the movie for those who have not seen it.]The story takes place in rural Pennsylvania, where Graham Hesse [Mel Gibson] lives on a farm with his two young children and his brother, Merrill [Joaquin Phoenix]. They reside in a lovely Victorian farmhouse surround by cornfields. [One lapse in logic I can note is that Hesse never once does any work in these fields; in fact, no farm implements are ever seen.] He is a clergyman who lost his faith when his wife was killed in an accident. His interest in God and spirituality is nil. One beautiful morning, the family awakens to discover a large crop circle in the cornfields. Soon these circles begin appearing all over the world, and it appears that they may be the work of aliens. Hesse must consider the impact this possibility may have on his family, all the while battling his own feelings about the Almighty. "Signs" almost succeeds in overcoming its script weaknesses because Shyamalan is so knowledgeable about film technique. At times the movie is genuinely frightening, often not because of what we see or hear but because of what we don't see or hear. The director knows how to let our imaginations run wild and how to keep us in suspense. And in a way, it doesn't matter that "Signs" isn't his strongest work because he's still good enough to make us look forward to his next movie. Some critics have been harshly dismissive towards "Signs", but I would remind them that the director is still very young. His movies will mature as he does.
Rating:
Summary: Sign, sign everywhere a sign
Review: A clever, well directed but, ultimately, underwhelming suspense science fiction thriller Signs gets much right but just as much wrong. Clearly Night has tremendous talent as a director. While the characters are well drawn, the performances very good and the central idea interesting, the last act needed some work. Working solo as writer and director Night probably didn't get much input from another creative force. He could have used it with Signs. The McGuffin is the threat of alien invasion. Really, it could have been set at any time during World War II with the Nazi's. It's just the catalyst to drive the plot forward. The alien invasion itself is pretty tame and not very well thought out. The motives for invasion unclear, the reasons they leave also a mystery. The film is visually stunning and visually interesting using a lot of unconventional camera angles and stylistic choices to make the film interesting despite the flawed script. It's what Night doesn't show that frightens us more than seeing everything. It's a classic lesson that's been forgotten by most film directors. Night shows an understanding of suspense not seen since Spielberg's early days. He also avoids the cliches that Spielberg avoided early in his career and has only recently escaped from (for the most part). The DVD is stunning looking with sharp images and beautiful color. The beautiful transfer and resolution is most noticable during the night sequences particularly when Gibson first sees the "monster outside my window". The extras are nice with an excerpt (like some of his previous DVD's) from the films Night made as a youth. The multi-angle storyboard option is also nice as well giving us an inside understanding of the film making process. The only suggestion I would have made for improvement would have been to allow viewers to view the preview version vs. the final version. It would have, again, been interesting. Sometimes the preview version is superior to the final film (e.g., Jim Cameron's The Abyss). Overall, this is a fine DVD with a set up that doesn't quite have the eventual payoff it needs to succeed. It's still a riveting film for the first two-thirds of the film. Enjoy and keep your eye on Night as he's a major talent that's still finding his way.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Shyamalan, but not the best
Review: I have been an M. Night fan ever since "The Sixth Sense". The movies he creates remind me of The Twilight Zone, and his sense of plot twists and suspense is phenomenal. Even his underappreciated "Unbreakable" was a mind-bending trip. However, "Signs" was a little different. Maybe there was too much buzz. Maybe I set myself up for another great twist. But, somehow "Signs" didn't exactly hit the mark. Don't get me wrong. Mel Gibson is poignant in his role as an ex-reverend who has lost his faith after losing his wife in a freak accident. The mandatory creepy precocious children are present as always, and Joaquin Phoenix plays a surrogate parent role as Mel Gibson's younger brother. As aliens begin to invade the planet, Gibson and his family realize that their farm has become an epicenter for these hostile visitors. The whole movie flows well and keeps you guessing with every twist and turn. However, the climactic ending leaves something to be desired. It hits the mark, but not quite hard enough. By the end, you realize that the whole movie is centered around the ideas of faith and fate. Little facts presented throughout the movie play significant roles in the ending. However, their significance doesn't quite ring as loudly as it should. The movie turns into a cheezy sci-fi movie/morality tale. I'm sure M. Night meant to reel us into the belief that things don't happen without a reason. However, his way of relating this idea is a little convoluted and contrived. However, I must admit that this is still a great chiller. Shyamalan's directorial style is still captivating, and his ideas are still thought-provoking. If he had just found a bigger, more dramatic way to get his point across, this could have been a real five-star movie.
Rating: 
Summary: See the Signs
Review: M. Night Shyamalan has created anothing movie that plays with are emotions . . . in an amazingly good way. With intricate camera angles and an enchanting soundtrack which plays through 85% of the movie, Signs is sure to be a winner. When you see "The Brazilian Video Tape" scene, make sure to grab on to your date, it scared me for a long time. M. Night Shyamalan has not been recognized by the Academy Awards and he should have his moment as soon as possible. One downfall of Signs was when the show the alien in the living room. The alien is definately computer animated and fake looking, and I wasn't sure whether I was to scream or laugh. Other then that its an amazing movie, which an amazing cast, and an amazing score. Signs is an overall amazing film to watch. Again, grab someone when the "Brazilian Video Tape" scene comes on.
Rating:
Summary: Too serious
Review: I sat down on my sofa, wraped a blanket around myself, got cozy, and began watching this movie with high hopes and anticipation. I did like this movie, but it was much to serious. The characters seemed to be enveloped in a cloud of sadness and depression all the time. It's dificult to explain my reasons unless i detail why the constant sadness was present.
There were a few moments of levity in the movie, but even the levity was downplayed.
I loved the intense anticipation of .."what's around the next corner...". But i still felt like Mel Gibson was holding back. The Kids and Mel's *brother* were spectacular.
I liked the movie, but I don't think it's up to its full potential for the actors that were in it, or the other way around. I'm not sure.
Amy Davies
Rating: 
Summary: Not a very good movie
Review: This is really not very good. The suspense is effective for the fisrt half or so, and the acting is OK. But the suspense is ruined as you start to see more and more of the aliens. The ending continues this trend and is ultra corny to boot. This is probably the worst Mel Gibson Movie I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: ok, but doesn't live up to shyamalan's other work
Review: "Signs" is a brilliantly directed film, which I expect from Shyamalan in all cases (excluding "Wide Awake") In this movie, he takes the end of the world as we know it, and shows this epic event through the eyes of a rural Washington family. If you are expecting another "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" do not see this. Although the premise of the movie is about aliens taking over the world, the creatures are only seen for a second or two at a time. This movie is not about armageddon. It's about how an average rural family interperets it. If this were directed by Tim Burton, or someone like him, the aliens would hog the screen forr the entireity of the film, and explosions and screaming would be pumping through the speakers. Shyamalan does the exact opposite. He uses silence to scare his audience, whem there is nothing to be heard. Silence is almost never this ominous. His style is much like Alfred Hitchcock's, in that he only shows you little bits of action, if any at all. Shyamalan's direction here is masterful. The screenplay, on the other hand, is very flawed. Often times, the movie relies on miracles and coincidences. I will not describe any in detail, but the last epic scene seems to cinematic, which this movie is trying NOT to capture. The last scene also is terrible. The movie has no decent closure, but tried to. Shyamalan should have either: a) Left the audience on a cliffhanger, or b) Finish what he started. In his other two thrillers, the endings have been the highlight of the entire movie... This ending is dead, though. I will not go on any more about lame things in the script. I think you should decide for yourself. In conclusion, if Shyamalan had a better script to work off of, he could have pulled of one of the greatest psychological thrillers of all time. While the script has it's flaws, I still encourage you to see "Signs" solely for the incredible direction. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Night of the Living Dead with aliens... and more!
Review: Okay, I've read some bad reviews for this movie and my advice to you is DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. Yeah, I know it is all a matter of opinion, but I feel that many people dislike this movie for all the wrong reasons. This movie doesn't have big explosions and nonstop action with ground breaking special effects that leave you on the edge of your seat. If you're looking for that then go watch Independence Day. First off, this movie reminded me a lot of Night of the Living Dead (one of the best horror movies ever made). The characters spend a lot time in the house just watching the news wondering what is going to be announced next. Then of course we get to the part where they board up the windows and after that they just have to wait the crisis out. But don't get the wrong idea, this movie isn't a Night of the Living Dead ripoff in any way. It has a much different purpose to it. I just wanted to point out the similarities. If you are familiar with M. Night Shyamalan's past works (such as The Sixth Sence and Unbreakable) you may know what to expect. He focuses a lot more on the suspence and mood rather than the plot (which isn't necessarily a bad thing despite what most reviewers say). And also, as you may have guessed, there is a suprise ending awaiting you but this time it isn't quite as... predictable as the "suprise" ending to The Sixth Sence. And also, if you are a horror movie fan, this movie shouldn't dissappoint you. I've been watching horror movies since first grade and I finally came to the conclusion that it is impossible for a movie to actually feel scary. Well, this movie prove me wrong. This movie had such a realistic feel that it almost felt like this crisis was really happening. It was easy to understand the fear and confusion that the characters were going through, even though you weren't really experiencing it. Definately a great film that no one should miss out on. Though judging from many of the reviews I read, it seems like the type of movie you will either love or hate. And I am happy that I'm in the the group of people that love it.
Rating:
Summary: Definately a Five Star Movie!
Review: You won't want to miss this movie! It keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. It also has some humor in it too. You will have too watch it over and over again!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- edge of your seat story
Review: I watched this DVD last night prepared not to like it after reading some of the negative reviews -- boy was I wrong! This is the story of a widower/farmer, sharing his life with two wonderful kids and a delightfully quirky brother. He's a fairly miserable character at the start of this movie as he has recently lost his wife in a horrendous accident. He was a minister when his wife had her accident and through flashbacks we can see that he lost his faith and blames God for the loss of his wife and subsequently left his church. The entire household is miserable because of the wife's loss and are made far more miserable by the anger they know he harbors. OK so that's the subplot. Into the story comes a bewildering crop circle. It is assumed that it was created by pranksters until the news reports that there are thousands of these circles that appeared all over the earth, in every country. The kids are terrified by the very real threat of alien invasion. Meanwhile, their Dad tries to remain their rock solid support and deny the existence of any aliens. Now that I laid the groundwork I don't want to go any further because it might just ruin the movie for you. One hint is that there was a moment in the movie when my daughter and I literally screamed in surprise. Interspersed with tremendous suspense are a few well placed bits of comic relief that made us laugh out loud. This movie isn't just about aliens, but is also about family, love, faith, & the human spirit. I highly recommend it.
| 
