I have to say that I first saw this movie with my cousin when it came out in the theaters. Why have I delayed writing a review until now? I have no idea, but I just saw this movie on DVD again last week, which will make it my fourth viewing. And I still enjoyed it.


Mel Gibson… Father Graham Hess
Joaquin Phoenix… Merrill Hess
Rory Culkin… Morgan Hess
Abigail Breslin… Bo Hess
Patricia Kalember… Colleen Hess
Cherry Jones… Officer Caroline Paski
M. Night Shyamalan… Ray Reddy
Merritt Wever…Tracey Abernathy


Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Graham Hess, a Pennsylvanian farmer begins to have some problems on his land and in town. It seems that Hess is an Episcopalian minister who gave up his collar a few months earlier because he just couldn’t believe anymore.

We learn why farther into the movie. It seems that his wife, was tragically killed, by another resident in the small town and he blames his God for allowing it to happen. The townspeople want him to return, even going so far as to try and get him to listen to their confessions.

But that’s not it. Not only is there family problems, but Graham awakes one morning to discover his children in the cornfields, frozen by what they see. Crop circles, is what the news is reporting. Cornstalks bent over at the end, not broken, which represents the invasion of aliens on the Earth. Glowing lights cover the sky in major cities.

Bo is the one who is awakened first with a view of the aliens, but is as calm as ever.

There’s a monster outside my window, can I have a glass of water?… Bo

Graham and Merrill decide to try and scar the person away. They leave the children in the house and go outside to add a little humor to the movie.

What should I say?… Father Graham
I don’t know, be angry!… Merrill
I’m gonna kick you’re a**es in!!… Merrill
I’m very angry!!… Father Graham

The Hess family battens down their home and prepares as best as they can for the worst.
Brother Merrill who is like one of the children themselves, but has an inner spirit that wants to defend their family more than any of them. An asthmatic Morgan wanting to stay and defend their home. And Bo, the little girl with a phobia about their water, wanting to leave but changing her mind to mirror her brothers.

Don’t give him that water, it’s dirty!… Bo
Bo, He licks his own butt, I don’t think he will mind.… Morgan

From then on, the family awaits the arrival or aliens, with the strong hope of still being alive come morning. Will they make it through? Or will the aliens take over the farm and surrounding areas?

Don’t be afraid.… Father Graham


~ DVD Extras ~
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Language Selection
Deleted Scenes
“Making of” Featurettes (6)
Night’s First Alien Film


~*~ My Thoughts ~*~
Boy, there is nothing like sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for something to appear in this movie. My cousin and I, and literally the rest of the theater, were so loud during this movie that I am surprised anyone was able to hear it. Signs hits you unlike any other thriller because a lot of people do not actually die in the movie. Well, you don’t see them die anyway.

What makes this movie more interesting and more edge of the seat is that you don’t know what’s going to happen, unlike those teen slasher movies like Ripper: Letter From Hell and Wrong Turn where someone gets diced up every 10 minutes. Signs was not only suspenseful to a point, but the added humor from the characters makes the movie more enjoyable than your average alien encounter.

Not only do we have an interesting plot, but the characters are described in such a way that you want to know them. Hess, once a man of God, has buried that belief on the heels of his wife’s death. You feel his pain, even though you do not quite understand why he has given up on his lord, because you know that he has seen death before. Merrill, Graham’s younger brother, who was once a minor league baseball player but blew his chances of becoming a star. Since then, he has moved in with Graham to help him take care of the two children left behind without a mother even though he still has a little growing up to do himself. He adds most of the humor to the movie.

Morgan and Bo Hess were what really made this movie. Culkin and Breslin are definitely talented. Their characters were made to play important parts in this movie, and perhaps, to teach a lesson of some kind. They both seemed to have this overly calm and unemotional demeanor that made them seen kind of slow, but they were both smart and intelligent beyond their years. But then again, both characters seem to exist for only one reason.

But you have to realize that the aliens are just a way for Graham to realize what he has done to his family by loosing his faith in the lord. They play an integral part in helping Graham realize what he is supposed to do in life, whether it be a farmer or a minister. Despite the strong presence of religion in this movie, some believe that the movie did not center totally upon it. But I think it kind of did, except more subtly than any other movie that has tried to do the same thing. Shyamalan very cleverly disguised the more religious aspects of the movie than some other directors have in the past. But just because I said that, doesn’t mean I don’t think he is the best director in the world. I enjoyed The Sixth Sense, but just could not stand the boring Unbreakable.

The only thing that I have found wrong with this movie is the lack of action at certain key points. Or the lack of interesting action at those points. The movie builds and builds, and at those key spots where you expect something to occur…nothing happens. The plot line is not original and it really is quite predictable at times. The special effects were not bad at all. The aliens portrayed seemed more real than anything that I have watched so far, even though they were never really given close-up to be totally scrutinized by those more interested in that kind of stuff.

Signs has a way of keeping you on the edge with the little things that keep this movie going. That’s why I enjoyed this movie, along with the fact that it started right away and didn’t go into a long introduction. And I definitely recommend it for those interested in this genre, and for those that might enjoy the suspense. Shyamalan seems to have his own style that makes for interesting watching.


~ Happy watching!

Kim


Movie Type: Science Fiction/Thriller
Movie Release: July 2002
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Rated:PG-13
Running Time: 106 minutes



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older