Signs
2002/Suspense/PG-13
Stars: ** 1/2 Explanation of ratings
A must-see for thriller fans. Die-hard sci-fi fans may be disappointed.
If jumping from your seat to the ceiling every fifteen minutes is your idea of fun, then Signs is a sure winner. Producer/director M. Knight Shyamalan does a masterful job of creating and maintaining the film�s suspense. Signs is devoid of the laser beams and explosions of alien invasion films such as Independence Day. Instead, it�s an edge-of-your-seat thriller that marries Alien with Psycho. Shyamalan makes the audience fear the unknown by revealing as little about the aliens for as long as he can, including what they look like, and of course, their purpose.
Leads Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix compliment each other well and the level of personal interaction they provide makes the movie seem human. After all, the film is about one family�s reaction to a world crisis. They don�t want to save the world. They just want to know what�s happening and if they are safe.
The only thing that makes the movie drag is the moral of the story involving the death of Gibson�s character�s wife, why he left the priesthood and Phoenix�s batting average. How this ties into the ending is drab and pointless. Thankfully, it doesn�t spoil the ending.
I would also question the scientific validity (not accuracy) of the core premises of what the crop circles are and, without spoiling anything, certain �ineptitudes� the aliens have of coping with earth and humans. In all fairness to the writers, however, the movie is supposed to challenge current scientific perceptions of extraterrestrial life.
While Signs fails as a science-fiction movie, it shines as a suspense thriller. See this movie in the most crowded cinema you can find; the audience reaction is worth it.
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