Signs

!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!! This review contains spoilers! The reader might best watch the film once through first. But, as this is a film that I have watched multiple times and could watch many times more, my review could help one to see what this movie is really about. On its surface, “Signs,” is an alien invasion film about a dysfunctional family just trying to survive. That is not the real plot nor substance of the movie. Shymalan’s film is about the spiritual/religious inward struggle of a man (stunningly acted by Mel Gibson); a priest, a Father, and a dad. He has lost his faith due to the particularly horrific, bizarre death of his wife in an accident. It is about his struggle to be a father to his children as he is barely holding a grip on his own integrity of mind and emotion, all the while in psychic pain and extremity of grief. Then he is faced with an incomprehensible external situation that puts him and his whole family at risk. The script plot of alien invasion is an allegory, a literary device that confronts him with his own inner chaos. You can watch the film believing in the literal alien invasion, and it works real fine to do so, but do not miss the real plot: A man’s desperate inner struggle to meet an impossible situation without the strength of character that comes by way of a deep faith in God and in life itself. He has lost his bearings and is adrift in a sea of grief and rage at God for the loss of his wife in a “meaningless” accident. He is on the edge. His children are on the edge. His younger brother is on the edge. Then comes the alien attack, which just about tips the scales to complete failure and disaster. But during the whole intricately woven fabric of this story, he is unknowingly being led to a confrontation with his faith or total lack thereof. The real “signs” are not the crop circles that the aliens have strewn across the earth, but all the seeming flaws and failures and misfortunes that turn out to be “godsends” or “god-signs” that save his family on all levels, coming together to a climax where redemption is found in his not being able to discount the miracles that come from the very wounds and misfortunes that have made him so filled with hate and resistance and loss of belief in God and goodness and mercy, and most of all, his own faith. He finds there is no other actual explanation for what has saved him and his family than that God has worked out everything to perfection, in God’s own timing and purpose. The movie is best viewed at least twice through, that one may appreciate the inspired perfection of its intimately and intricately woven story/allegory. Watch for all the threads that come together to save his own soul and all whom he loves.

It took a lot viewings for this movie to finally grow on me and it took awhile for me to actually find this on bluray separately from being on a multimovie set. Some M. Night movies are easy to feel like you want them in your collection and others not so much. well I finally found this on bluray and said why not. I actually enjoy this a lot more now. I love the aspect of aliens invading but it was more about this religious figure losing his faith when his wife was killed by accident and he didn't really think he knew how to manage raising his children without her. And his younger brother comes to help him while he was figuring out how to live without his other half. It was worth buying

For the most part I'm a fan of M. Night Shyamalan.Gibson and Phoenix are excellent actors.But, this is an exercise in attempting to add substance to a pretty thin plot.Unlike "The Happpening" which was just plain silly, this effort succeeds in a couple good scenes, but there are basic weaknesses.Come one aliens! Didn't any of you fellas do a little research before deciding that our blue planet was a good place to set up shop? For instance, what is a very large component of Planet Earth? Mull that over for a while.And, find me a farmhouse that doesn't have at least a shotgun in a closet. Shotgun v. Alien: Shotgun 1. Alien O.But, worth watching for Ginbon's performance in particular...and the couple good scenes.

…and I feel like I can fully absorb and appreciate the nuance.So many reviews are negative about this film and I feel like those viewers have missed the point. As a story of finding ones' lost identity due to loss…both Gibson's character and Joaquin's have dealt with losses and each finds redemption at the end. The story is far less about aliens and far more about loss, family, coincidences (signs) and the overall plan for each of the characters (predeterminism). It is also about sacrifice and awareness and the comprehension that all is connected. I think at the end there is dialogue about how "we" (father & son) are connected (during breath). How the son's asthma ends up being his blessing. How the daughter dreams of these events, ALL THE WATER! How Merrill needs to "swing". All fulfilling one overarching story in which loss preceded the understanding of the message.Great film and so worth a re-watch if it's been awhile. As I get older I understand more of the nuance and the meaning of the Signs. I think perhaps this does reach Masterpiece status.

Great movie. A keeper

This is a decent film which I’ve seen a few times. It’s not as scary as I remember, but still creepy in places. Yes you do have to take certain plot points with a pinch of salt but it’s not too bad.The film is generally well acted and the environment in and around the farmhouse looks and sounds great on a home cinema setup. You can almost smell the fresh air. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the special effects, which sadly have gone a bit stale with the passage of time and don’t hold up well under the Blu-ray microscope. There is a scene with a dog which is clearly green screened - I never noticed this before on DVD and TV. And the aliens themselves, which I don’t believe were particularly impressive even at the time, have certainly not aged well. Thankfully their time on screen in minimal.I don’t think this is quite a classic of the genre but I do like it. There are some genuinely humourous moments to offset the sentimentality.Worth a rental at least in my opinion.

Like the advert for marmite this film seems to divide most of us between those that love it and those that hate it, oh and of course those that don't mind it! Now lets be clear I love it. Having just watched it for the second time recently, after years of avoiding it because of the bad reviews and in truth because of Mel who generally dislike more than I like, and yet again I found myself loving every moment.Now okay the whole premise is indeed very silly, but then since when has that beeen an issue in an art form that has us believing in the undead, angels, and invisible rabbits? My advise is to those that take life too seriously don't watch this, but then again don't watch Harvey, the Dark Knight, The Thing, and a hundered other great films.Put simply there is a lovely feel to this film, beautifully shot, excellent acting all around, and enormous fun plot (yes very silly but amazingly atmospheric). This film has some some good jump moments and yet mixes these effortlessly with some real moments of fun.I say agian yes the plot is silly, but so what? The key is that like all great films it is a magical ride. Do not be put off by the bad reviews, if you have a sense of imagination, and an enjoyment of film at it's best watch this.Oh and I don't love or hate marmite, kind of don't mind it.

Suspenseful thriller. The film is full of moments of sheer suspense and mystery that let your imagination run wild with fear. The music by James Newton Howard buffs up the suspenseful atmosphere. The plot follows the story of a family in the cornfields of rural America who upon finding crop circles, discover that they are under an alien invasion.

For me Signs is a fine film but like so many other reviewers I am aware that Signs splits opinions. I don't think this is a bad thing. For what its worth my wife and I very much enjoyed this film - for whatever reason - we did. Now its a favourite and we enjoy it everytime.The film is based upon a family who live in Pennsylvania who consist of two children, father and Uncle. The mother of the children is killed in a freak accident and its her last words that lead the father (an ex-holy man) to understand that everything he can see is not all there is and that is what eventually leads him to restore his faith.The film is set against an impending Alien invasion. I felt this was done very well and had the film been simply based upon this sort of thing would have worked just as well. However, M. Night Shyamalan wanted something deeper than that and added the twists and turns of a man who'd lost his faith and two children who had lost their mother. For me, Signs is a fine film and if taken for what it is won't let anyone down. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix are excellent - especially Phoenix. 5 out of 5 for me but be warned - this film isn't for everyone.

This film is very slow. There isn't any tension. It's boring. Most Mel Gibson's films are good, but not this one.