Critic's Grade: B+

Director M. Night Shyamalan presents the audience with a stylized look at space alien invasion in his movie Signs. Signs will have you focused on the screen and gripping the theater seat arms. Shyamalan does a great job of putting himself in the audience position. He enhances our involvement and movie enjoyment with the use of crisp cinematography and crystal clear sound, one feels a part of this movie.

Mel Gibson plays Graham Hess. Hess lives in rural Pennsylvania with his two children, brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and a couple of pet dogs. There home is surrounded, and I do mean surrounded by cornfields. Hess recently suffered a tragic loss and whether he admits or denies, that loss has affected the entire family. Hess questions many aspects of life, he no longer chooses to be a Priest, and corrects all who still call him Father. He has little tolerance for those who believe in God, including his own family members. When amazing geometric patterns appear in his cornfield, most think it is a prank. Rory Culkin who plays his son, has other ideas about the Signs. Spurred on by TV news reports and reading UFO literature Morgan believes this is the big one, the long awaited alien invasion. Now the fear factor starts to ignite. Phoenix plays Merrill Hess younger brother to Graham and ex-big league baseball player. Phoenix does a great job in a quiet acting role he seems believable and natural. Listen to the conversation and admiration Merrill has for Graham, Merrill likes being a part of the family. He buys into Morgan's invasion theory and he seems to take over the roll of obsessed TV channel watcher. As an audience member, one empathizes with the threats this movie presents to its characters, the possibility that at any moment the boogieman is going to jump out at you! Deeper meaning is the characters helplessness and questioning of life in the face of probable annihilation of earths populous.
I know some will be let down by the movies ending. For those laying in wait out in that cornfield behind the Combine steering wheel, turn off the thresher and take another drag off your corn silk blunt. Ponder this with me; the ending is as the movie was, all about family! It is questioning and coming to grips with one fears and realizing triumph and power over those fears! Maybe we do have control over our lives and definitely there is Higher Being.

Give Signs a grade of B+. Get out of the farmhouse, grab a big ass soda and have some fun!

All Reviews by Mark Hamilton [Home page]
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