Rating: 
Summary: Astonishing, scary, heartwarming, and hilarious
Review: I could go on and on about this movie the way I have been for the last nine days since I've seen it (three times already, and counting...). M. Night Shyamalan, who blew me away with "The Sixth Sense" back in 1999, and blindsided me with "Unbreakable" in 2001, now completely knocks my socks off and leaves me breathless with "Signs". This is, unquestionably (in my opinion) his strongest, most refined work. The film is everything that films should be; all the reasons we love going to the movies are encased in this one, masterful two hour package. Cunningly simplistic yet effective in style, Shyamalan abandons almost all sense of the style that has permeated his first two films--the long, seemingly endless takes that shift the camera back and forth between actors instead of cutting, are just one example--and approaches this material with a fresh eye, yet the same crew.The plot of the film is simple, as it should be. Plots about the possible existence of extra-terrestrials can be bogged down by too much detail. In this sense, it's much better to give us real characters. If they seem real to us, it makes the danger on screen feel that much more imminent. When the hand reaches for them, it reaches for us, too, and grabs our heart by going for the throat. We have our real characters here in the carefully calculated performances of Mel Gibson (an amazing, introverted performance from the normally flagmatic actor), Joaquin Phoenix (definitely worthy of an Oscar nomination), and two wonderful child actors, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. The film comes to life, not through special effects and fabricated news reports (although "Signs" does use both to fantastic effect), but through these performances. Gibson plays the emotionally wounded former reverand Graham Hess as the head of a family that has recently survived a great tragedy that has deeply affected his faith in higher powers. Phoenix, as Merrill Hess, plays Gibson's brother, opposites in personality and use of curse words, yet the repore between them is undeniable. Then there are the children, Morgan and Bo. Shyamalan, like Spielberg, is a wizard of working with child actors. Culkin delivers a calm yet brutally truthful and intense performance as the first true believer. Breslin is appropriately cute as the youngest, naive child, yet she is absolutely convincing in her first big scene with Gibson when she asks her father why he talks to his dead wife while he's by himself. "Makes me feel better," he says, after a brief moment of pause. "Does she answer back?" young Bo asks. Gibson, never breaking eye contact, shakes his head and replies "No." After a deep sigh, Breslin says, "She never answers me either." Thus the human element of the film comes even more into the light, and we are immediately drawn into the web Shyamalan has spun for us with this incredible ensemble cast of characters put into a wholly extraordinary situation. There's not much I can say in the area of plot that won't give something away, but anyone who has seen the previews for "Signs" knows all he/she needs to know. Crop circles, possible aliens, Mel Gibson, a mysterious leg, a butcher knife used as a mirror. I suppose plot doesn't even really matter. I really wrote this review to tell everyone to see this movie as quickly as possible. I haven't been so thoroughly swept off my feet by a movie since I saw "American Beauty" (my all-time favorite film) three years ago. "Signs" is the best film Shyamalan has made. A thriller that pulls out all the stops, uses its soundtrack (or lack thereof) to build tension to a breaking point before letting us take a breather before we're finally catapulted out of our seats when the force of the crap that flies into our pants causes a sonic boom of screams to erupt throughout the theater. Character development, crucial to this movie as it should be in any thriller, is used to draw us in even further as we experience each scene, learning more and more about the lives of these four family members through unfolding details. And of course, Shyamalan never fails to impress me with the way he brings things full circle at the end, when every single line of dialogue and every character quirk he's added in suddenly becomes intregal to the plot, and we wish we hadn't taken that bathroom break. "Signs" is the first masterpiece of 2002. It may end up being the only masterpiece of the year. Like "The Sixth Sense", I hope this ends up as a timeless thriller that will haunt video shelves and the dreams of audiences for generations to come. This is first-class filmmaking. I can only hope to make a movie this good.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all "Signs" point here...
Review: While "Signs" is a motion picture which gets high marks for its dramatic nuances and scope, however, its effect on the "fright-o-meter" in many of the "scary" scenes leaves a lot to be desired. It would appear director M. Night Shyamalan wasn't given a whole lot of material to work with here, although the semi-all-star cast (Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and Rory Culkin, to name a few) makes this effort flow through with relative ease in spots. For the most part, nearly all of the "fright" sequences lack any substantial punch and are abominable, except for one brief scene, which will make one's stomach cringe with a fairly sizeable degree of agony. Even with some physical and script inconsistencies, Shyamalan did an adequate job in the director's seat. If "Signs" had featured a mostly unknown cast, this picture really would have been a frightful disaster at the box office. Still an average flick, all things considered.
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Sci-Fi Adventure
Review: I'm one of many enthralled by Shyamalan's style, which, as many film buffs know, is not new at all. Instead, he has resurrected the lost art of telling a movie through characters and a script, rather than what Hollywood has been throwing at us in the past twenty years. I personally enjoy his style because it is exactly my style. As a film-major-to-be, I can only wish I will one day be able to pull off what this man does. When watching a movie like 'Signs' you realize that we don't need special effects to tell a story anymore, and that there is hope, yet not much, for real film-makers to make it in this world. (And no, it's not that I don't think George Lucas is a film-maker, but he's not a very good one.) 'Signs', as we all know already, is about crop-circles, and even deeper, and alien invasion. Now, if this were the standard film, we'd've watched two hours of non-stop special effects and action, but here we don't, and it's more refreshing than anything I've watched in a long time. Mel Gibson is wonderful as usual, and the children are also very talented actors. Though I did not enjoy Joaquin Phoenix in 'Gladiator', he was a fun character here. Throw in some amazing story-telling and Shymalan's way of making a dog-bark frightening and you have a classic film. For the most part this was a wonderful film, however I did find some things not so enjoyable. First, for a species so advanced, they were rather weak and easily defeatable. Second, though there were few special-effects shots, those we did see were not up to par of what we have seen as of late. (As in 'The Lord of the Rings'.) Here, the FX seem more 'Harry Potter'-esque and a little more on the unreal side, but luckily these shots were short and unnoticeable to the average viewer. 'Signs' is the best science fiction film I've seen in a long while, better than Spielberg's 'Minority Report' and certainly more enjoyable than that awful waste of time known as 'Attack of the Clones'. But please, viewers, remember that sometimes a director needs to shy away from the surprise ending. This doesn't make him any worse than he already was, or a man that has run out of ideas so early in his career--sometimes a normal ending just works better, and we should all accept that. See 'Signs'. You won't regret it...if, of course, you enjoy quality cinema.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't want to go with my husband but I am SO Glad I did!!
Review: This movie is a new kind of Sci-Fi, it is not focused on important people like the President but on the common man. It shows how an 'everyman' deals with his own possible end, it stays locked on normal people in extraordinary circumstances. The reviews I read were terrible, now I wonder if any of those reviewers have actually Seen the Movie?? If so, one wonders about their perspective and lack of feeling. It is a cohesive and tight movie, don't read too many of the reviews that tell you what will happen. So much more fun to be surprised, chilled and satisfied. Be brave and go see it too!!
Rating:
Summary: A review that's worth reading
Review: If you think of how many films there have been on this subject it will surprise you to know how well this film did. Mel's a little older but other than the times he is doing the 'choking face that's trying terribly not to cry' (a la Ransom and Patrioit) his character of a disolutioned ex-priest is entertaining. There is some clever humor and adult-child interraction all centered around the 'arrival' of what ever left the crop circles. There is some genuine suspense and clever twists on the old ET concept and the special affects are just right, although they play second fiddle to the human condition and observation...it's clever, thoughtful and not once did I want to go get a smoke the entire film.
Rating:
Summary: Shyamalan is a Genius
Review: Signs is, simply put, a work of art. I'm disgusted by all these people who complain about how little you see the monsters. HELLO! That's the whole point! The most frightening parts are when you catch barely a glimpse of the creature, or just hear it moving. Shyamalan's unique style builds the tension steadily without relying on special effects. Mel Gibson gives one of the best performances of his career, and the two kids are perfectly cast. M. Night Shyamalan also has a sizeable role, rather than the small cameo appearances in his other movies. However, it is Joaquin Phoenix who steals the show as Mel's brother. His transformation from skeptic to believer is well-done, and he also has most of the humorous lines. (Check out the scene where he's watching the news and they show the video from Brazil) I won't go into the plot, because you have to see it to get the full impact. Needless to say, this film has turned me into a die-hard Shyamalan fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Yawn. H.G. Wells ripoff
Review: I loved The Sixth Sense, and having seen the preview for Signs, I was prepared for a great film. What I got was ... disappointing.
It seems that Shyamalan decided to add some elements to his fledgling style of filmmaking, not excluding adding himself to the cast list. This usually wouldn't be a problem, except he couldn't act his way out of a sewage ditch, and it shows.
The plot of this film is a sad War of the Worlds ..., only a much less creative and plausible one. It wouldn't hurt for Shyamalan to add "Based on a novel by H.G. Wells" to his full-screen "Written by M.N.S." credits.
Overall, the film was unsatisfying, and throughout my viewing, all I could think was "Man, the success of The Sixth Sense got to Shyamalan's head - he's just not trying anymore". It seemed to me that he was just trying to make a point, instead of a film. Reasons? New "comedy" elements, his presence in the film, and the various "subtle" (*ahem*) references to his heritage.
To conclude, I would just like to add that Mel Gibson's a great actor, and it's sad to see that his talent was wasted on this film.
Rating:
Summary: one of the year's best movies
Review: This movie is not for the people who consider Fast and the Furious and Knight's Tale their favorite. If this movie is "slow" that's because it tries to tell the story as realistically as possible. It succeeds and scares you by putting you in the situation that main characters are experiencing and not by sudden manipulative movements or sounds (like most horror movies do, because it's the easiest way)
Rating:
Summary: One humble person's opinion(Go take a chance&see it, be open
Review: I can tell you ALL I want to about my experince with this movie, but you gotta try it for yourself, you may hate it, love it, or just like it or whatever....But the point is you really can't take my word for it. Just go see it. Now that that's said&done, I'd just like to say I *Loved*!!! loved loved!!! This film!!! My favorite film so far this year and lemme tell you I've watched allready more films this year then I EVER have ANY OTHER year in my life. I watch at LEAST usually one movie a day with all those movie channels and free rentals from the library and stuff. But when I heard about this movie I thought it looked ABSOLUTELY RETATRDED, but then it hooked me in and I HAD TO go see it.! Almost had to wait a week, but the wait was WELL WORTH IT.! I don't go around focusing on the flaws in movies, but rather the positive things. Where this movie certainly WAS NOT perfect&has flaws, it was generally VERY WELL executed. It scared me quite a few times. And it really is true things scare you more when you DON'T see them. I mean even in Friday the 13th you don't see the culprit till the end of the film, course that's an ENTIRELY different type of film, but still had its chills. Anyways This movie was HIGHLY emotional and had spiritual undertones&that's alot of the reason I *Loved* it so much. NOT ONLY THAT, but the acting was amazing. You'de never think Mel Gibson was such a *GREAT* actor till now. I mean at least I didn't. So far out of any of the more popular films this is probrably hands down the scariest of them what with dreck like "Halloween Resurection" and "Jason X". Anyways just check it out, I wont tell you ANYTHING you allready KNOW, but just go in expecting a slower paced movie, witty, smart, and full of subtle scares. And another thing, this movies family is HIGHLY realistic, they have realistic problems and they're a believable family, so maybe that's what really makes this film so good. But I can't garuntee you'll like it, so DON'T BLAME ME if you ~HATE~ it.! Its UP^ to you.! Just sit back relax and let it pull you in.! *Enjoy* God Bless ~Amy
Rating:
Summary: The Anti-Independence Day
Review: ----------CONTAINS SPOILERS----------------
So many films have taken on the subject of alien visitations/invasions. "War of the Worlds" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" remain two of my favorites of this genre, presenting the subject in a more intelligent way than many of their contemporaries. But what no other film has really done for me is to capture the deep-seated fear bordering on panic that would arise from the initial realization that something ungodly and otherworldly was actually, really occurring, followed by the helplessness of being cut off from the rest of the world and at the mercy of beings with hostile intent. M. Night Shyamalan is the first director to capture this gut feeling for me. He understands that fear of the unknown remains the greatest fear of all in both life and on film. A briefly seen indistinct form, blurred movement, or unnatural sound is suspenseful. Hearing a scratching at your back door is frightening ("What could THAT be?!")- seeing a raccoon is causing it is not. The longer an alien appears on screen, the longer you have to stop being afraid and to start looking for cinematic flaws, analyze whether the visual effect is convincing, and simply become accustomed to its form. The shock of revelation and discovery can only be frightening for a moment before we start to adjust. Shyamalan knows this and draws these moments out, allowing our own imaginations to supply what scares each of us the most by not giving us a distinct form to focus on, at least initially. And he does this in a skilled way that I do not consider a cop out or cheat. We are shown global events from the increasingly claustrophobic viewpoint of one fearful household. The video from the childrens' birthday party is disturbing and unsettling because the form is suddenly startlingly close yet remains indistinct ("What on earth IS that?"). The dark form on the house outside the son's room, the scenes in the dark cornfields, all set you on edge as you struggle to make out what it is that you are seeing, and placing you in the same uncertainty as the family. I thought the actors' performances were spot on. Unfortunately, there are numerous gaping holes in the plot that undermine the overall effect. Why is that alien cultures with the technology to overcome the relativistic effects of interstellar travel and which possess advanced cloaking techniques skitter around naked like squirrels, forgetting all their weaponry back on the ship so that they have trouble getting past a boarded window? And given their weakness, shouldn't they at least be wearing rain slickers? I am willing to overlook other implausibilities because Shyamalan's movie-making skills create suspense that captures the fear and dread of such an event as few other films have. Independence Day had more aliens than you could count, and I never found myself frightened or really emotionally buying that "My god, this IS how it would all end." Signs gets the feeling and the fear across even if it leaves some implausibilities unanswered in the process. I really enjoyed it.
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