Signs | | Cast : | Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix | | Director : | M. Night Shyamalan | | Studio : | Touchstone Pictures | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | August 02, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | January 04, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | By no means a masterpiece | Content
 | I guess most people were like me and watched this movie thinking that it was going to be yet another movie about aliens coming to this and, despite having superior technology (and, therefore, presumably intelligence, as well), are beaten by human ingenuity. Well, it is. Kind of. The movie is really about faith, in particular how one man, a former minister named Hess (Mel Gibson), having lost faith after the tragic loss of his wife, manages to regain his sense of faith through the course of an horrowing experience, in this case an alien invasion. The aliens, of course, are not the bug-eyed egg-heads that are vogue at the moment, rather are sinister and demonic-looking, because, after all, they are meant to symbolize evil. There are a number of other aspects of this movie that convey religious symbolism. I have to admit that I didn't quite get all of this at first, but after reflecting on this movie and reading some of the discussions going on about this movie on message boards, it all began to make sense to me. As it was, I found the movie to be fairly entertaining, although hoaky at times, and thought it an interesting interpretation of what an alien invasion might well be like. But the more closely I scruitinized certain aspects of the movie, it, much like religion, began to reveal itself as being frought with contradiction, confussion, implausibility, absurdity, etc. And the inability for something to withstand close scrutiny negates it legitimacy and authenticity, and so in my opinion it is most inappropriate to consider this movie to be a "masterpiece" as some would have it. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 03, 2005 | | Summary | I always knew "they" would be hostile | Content
| With generations of brain washing directors, i.e. Speilberg and others with (ET)like adorable space creatures who are so cute they wouldn't hurt a fly or so much more intellegent than we are or smashing into earth with lazer's blazing it was refreshing to see something that was a more likely senario if and when the supposed UFO creatures come to visit earth, and I don't think the military will come to our rescue we will be on our own. It seems logical to assume that they do not come in peace, (why would they fly 100 billion light years away just to say Hi?)Well that's another debate. I really enjoyed this movie, let me put it this way, if you liked "Rosemary's Baby" you'll like this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | Way to go, M. Night! | Content
| Plot summary:
Aliens that are killed by water travel across the universe to a planet literally saturated with it, only to be foiled by such high-tech human weaponry as the wooden door.
By far one of the worst movies starring Mel Gibson not involving a midget on a giant retard's back.
Dear M. Night,
Please stop insulting my native PA and start shooting them in Ohio, or better yet, New Jersey. That is all. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | Hollywood goes back to minimalism for outstanding results! | Content
| With M. Night Shyamalan's third major studio release as director, he once again proved that he may just be heir to the Hitchcock throne of suspense. Do not think I am comparing him to the level of Hitchcock as a film maker, because Shyamalan still has a long way to go to achieve that goal. However, of the film makers today you'd be hard pressed to find a director who could produce such a suspenseful film on such minimalist methods.
Hollywood's mentality has long been the bigger the explosion the bigger the return, and in an age of special effects and showing off what they can do on the computer (take note, George Lucas), Shyamalan bypassed all that and harkened back to a time when the most important thing was the story. Shyamalan constructed the film around the history and idiosyncracies of the family using everyday things such as half-filled glasses, a baby monitor, and other like things. When Spielberg directed Jaws, he learned that by not showing the shark that much made the film much more effective (admittedly, this realisation came to be because JAWS was such a production disastor). In a time when we have the specials effects to envision anything you could possibly dream, this film aptly illustrates that just because you have the technology it doesn't mean you have to use it to tell a good story. The old adage of "less is more" fits wonderfully here. Another wonderful example that incorporates technology without sacrificing the story or characters is Minority Report.
What is so remarkable about Signs' plot? It's the fact that the characters exist in their own right and never feel like just plot devices or mouthpieces. Mel Gibson plays an apostate preacher who suddenly has to handle the fact that crop circles are appearing in his corn field. Simultaneously, all across the globe crop circles are, shall we say, cropping up. His children (Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin) and his brother (Joaquin Phoenix from Gladiator) begin believing in the aliens, and try as he might Gibson's character realizes that these crop circles won't just go away. The movie then moves to the question is are these alien formations, and if so what are they used for? If there are aliens, are they hostile or not? What do they want with Earth?
Because Shyamalan always mades sure the Gibson's character and his family are in the forefront, the viewer becomes involved with them as individual characters to the point where the aliens are more events anything else. More and more scripts have characters taking backseat to the special effects and this is sapping the film industry of vitality. In Signs, when Morgan (the son) has his asthma attack during an assault on the house, we are much more concerned with what effect it would have on the family if they lost him, instead of it being some cheap and lowbrow ploy that is more of a plot device than a character study (Panic Room anyone?).
One of the key themes in Signs is faith. This film deals with the anger that Gibson's character feels toward God and how he must work through that throughout life's circumstances. Shyamalan's character (yes, he acts) is responsible for Gibson losing his faith. The film traces Gibson's progression of losing his faith and then struggling with God over losing his wife. This is illustrated ingeniously in the film's climax.
While my faith in God hasn't left me, my faith in Hollywood has long since evaporated. With directors such as Shyamalan still on the go-around, I find it getting a little stronger everyday. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | Trade in your rifle for a supersoaker | Content
| Bad guys from space travel across the vast cosmos to molest innocent crops and scare people.Along the way,various subplots thrive to keep the viewer morbidly interested.This is known as filler.Filler can be good or mundane,its how the viewer perceives it.
But the one thing that ruined it for me. These bad space guys are like...hyper allergic to water...(The stuff that covers 79% of the Earths surface).These bad guys, they can bend the laws of physics and master space travel.But cant figure out that the Earth, being covered with water, might not be the best place to start a shooting war.Had they considered rain? Man, its pretty sad when your invading hoards from the stars get wiped out by a cloudburst.Just what did they have in mind for Earths numerous waterparks?Would water coolers be banned?
One reason why Hitler didnt go after Switzerland was that he didnt want to get cut to pieces in the Alps.
But these arch-evil space guys,(who are of course quite groady
and utilize surprisingly substandard communications equipment),dont have the tactical wherewithal to ask themsevles just what they were going to do with a water covered planet in the first place.I mean the stuff does KILL them...like, dude...whatcha thinkin ?
Anybody that buys the fish oil this movie is selling has no real idea about science fiction.Heres a hint,the best fiction has an element of truth to it.To come up with a species this stupid that is supposed to be this advanced is so countradictory that from a literary standpoint its insulting.
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