Signs (2002)

Swing Away
Like Orson Wells' radio broadcast of "The War of Worlds", Signs is incredibly scary, with a tense buildup and suspense worthy of someone with ADD. It's a great sci-fi story, with one MASSIVE flaw. If the goal is a simple, mindless scare, then Signs does a fair job.

A former precher and his mix-match family of a brother and two children live in a small farming town. They live the typical eventless life that leads a young man to thinking about joining the military and a child to thinking about becoming a local fireman. One day, however, a crop circle appears in their corn, and everything changes.

The character development of Signs is absolutely superb. Graham's (Gibson) loss of faith shows a true weakness, a character flaw seen in all heroes. His brother Merrill (Phoenix) is the a former baseball star known for his home run power, but he's a typical late-twenty something, down on his luck and looking for a new life. This and the small town existence is making him think about joining the military. The other children, Morgan (Culkin) and Bo (Breslin) are intricately tied into the storyline and well-acted. The entire movie, from beginning to end, gives the viewer great connections and a nice leadup; each character's uniqueness eventually flows together into the storyline.

To make a long story short, the crop circles are a result of aliens, and the aliens are on earth to kill, maim, and pillage. They are an intensely superior lifeform, more intelligent and advanced in nearly every way. HOWEVER, they are evidently, highly allergic to water. In fact, with just a few drops the acidic nature of water can kill them. And they decided to attack Earth, a planet comprised of 75% water? Really?! Advanced enough to master space travel, yet they and chose Earth? Brilliant.

If you like alien movies, and well made suspense movies, and you can ignore the one glaring flaw to this movie's premise, it's a great movie. The twist ending is well thought out and enjoyable. It's very easy to relate to the characters and get sucked into the story.

More Fulfilling After the Passage of Time
About once a year, I get an itching to pull out a copy of Signs and watch the movie, although I always approach such temptations with more than a little reservation. The first time I saw the film in the theater, I was not overawed by the production, although it seemed to me to be an acceptable thriller with a bit of a trite "destiny" theme with a very strong cast of main characters. Because of this first lukewarm appreciation which I had for the film, I always have reservation as I pull my copy of Signs off the shelf, afraid that the itching will ultimately end in my dislike of the movie. However, after the third or fourth reviewing - and quite a deal of growing up - I can unequivocally say that Signs is a fantastic movie and believe that I now have the experiential wherewithal to elaborate a bit on why this is my overall impression of the film.

It is perhaps in its weakest point that Signs is most strongly supported for its perpetual enjoyment. That weakness lies in the fact that, on the whole, the film is very "cool" - in the media sense of leaving much to the viewer's interpretation. At first glance, this coolness can appear to be nothing other than laziness on the part of the director and writers of the film. More is accomplished by wisps, shades, and intrigue than by direct dialogue. This open environment is handled a bit clumsily at times, explaining why the film can come off as being nothing more than a trite sci-fi thriller with a twist and a moral. However, a second (and third) viewing of Signs proffers to return to a thriller but instead finds itself to be as enriching of an experience as the first viewing, if not more enriching. The second time around, one realizes that the haziness of details and looseness of plot is the gem at the heart of this film. Upon repeat viewing, I found myself more captivated by the story, perhaps because I was more willing to embrace the film on something of a more existential level.

This overall allowance for an existential appropriation is not found in lofty dialogue or enigmatic phrases. Instead, the film poses the short (albeit complex) question, "Is there something greater than chance tied into the fabric of causality in space and time?" The openness of the film prevents the viewer from appropriating a singular "Signs-watching experience" and instead offers a wider vista for the consideration of these issues. Each time that a viewer returns to this little diadem, (s)he is offered a chance, once again, to consider this question anew with a new set of life experiences.

Additionally, this openness (and somewhat lack of detail) has the added effect of strengthening the thrill-based portion of the film. Since the film doesn't really work in single shocking scenes but by means of high tension, multiple viewings are not destroyed by the dismissal of the action as merely a trite repetition of previous experiences. The viewer is returned to a state of anticipation and not one of full resolution, thereby allowing for the continuation of suspense after numerous viewings.

On the whole, I highly suggest the movie. The more cynical viewers in the world may scoff at its simple question and utilization of Science Fiction as a genre. However, those who are willing to at least engage in the conversation of the film will find themselves generously rewarded. As seasons pass and experiences change, we can all return to the question of "Is life more than chance?" Because this is perennial to all humanity and thanks to the relative "coolness" of the film, Signs is a movie worth viewing many times throughout the years.

loss and compassion
Like all of Shyamalan's work, don't let the "wrapping" fool you - a wonderful film apparently about aliens taking over the world, and one family's reaction to it, more deeply it is about people who's lives have fallen from loss. In facing their fears they discover a deep love which connects them to one another, more profoundly, it seems, than they'd previously felt and known. I find Shyamalan to be one of the most spiritual filmakers working today - weaving generosity, hope, and compassion into fascinating stories about people just like you and me that are at the same time riveting and funny.
Kudos to James Newton Howard, for his music seems the perfect fit to Shyamalan's vision.