Signs
SIGNSÂ (15)
D: M. Night Shyamalan
Touchstone/Blinding Edge (M. Night Shyamalan, Frank
Marshall & Sam Mercer)
US 2002
106 mins
Science Fiction/Thriller
W: M. Night Shyamalan
DP: Tak Fujimoto
Ed: Barbara Tulliver
Mus: James Newton Howard
Mel Gibson (Father Graham Hess), Joaquin Phoenix (Merrill
Hess), Rory Culkin (Morgan Hess), Abigail Breslin (Bo Hess), M. Night Shyamalan (Ray Reddy)
Arguably the last credible film from writer-director M.
Night Shyamalan before his career took a steep nosedive from which it hasn't yet recovered. Still, this isn't completely without its flaws.
A disillusioned preacher, who lost his faith following the
death of his wife, prepares his family for an invasion from a hostile alien species which they learn about from ominous crop circles on his land and the impending news on the
television.
It's a decent modernisation of B-movies from the 1950's
and 60's, with a few effective frightening moments but the focus is mainly on the human drama at the centre of the story. Its biggest weakness is the unconvincing ending which has been widely
ridiculed for making little to no coherence in comparison to the rest of the thrilling story.
6/10
