Signs (DVD)

M. Night Shyamalan film Signs is radically different from any alien film than ones taken by Independence Day and Contact. By limiting the number of special effects shots and treating the film more like a horror movie than a science fiction film, he keeps the viewers somewhat in the dark as to what is out there. He creates a claustrophobic atmosphere and keeps a high tension level this adds to the movie. Signs is the kind of film that will have you ...
...what is going to happen next. If you like UFO films then this may well be a film you’ll enjoy. The film is the story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who wake up one morning to find a vast and complex crop circle in their backyard. Mel Gibson stars as Graham Hess, a former minister who lost his faith when his wife Colleen (Patricia Kalember) was killed in a tragic accident. Graham raises his two little children Morgan (Rory Culkin) ...

Michael666 26.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...to be about something else? Signs was certainly like this for me. Even the cinema trailers had suggested that it was going to be something that it wasn’t, but I still wasn’t disappointed. Such is the storytelling capability of M Night Shyamalan that I still found myself completely engrossed from start to finish. When a truck driver runs down Graham Hess’s wife, he is utterly devastated and completely loses faith in the church. He relinquishes his ...
...Morgan, believes that the crop signs are huge markers left by an alien force that are used to mark out the surface of the planet for a forthcoming invasion. Whilst Graham dismisses the theory as being the product of an over active imagination, he cannot shake off the feeling of unease and when he hears something moving outside, he goes into the corn field to investigate. What he finds terrifies him, and confirms that Morgan may be closer to the truth ...

LostWitness 30.03.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...on to a sure-fire winner. Signs is a movie that comes with all of these assets and yet... Set in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Signs is the story of the Hess family. Made up of father, 2 children and uncle, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is the disillusioned patriach to his brother Merrill (Joaquin Pheonix of Gladiator fame) and 2 children Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin). Within the first few frames, the audience is introduced to the concept ...
...keen to tell you that Signs is the latest multi-layered foray into the world of the paranormal. Rather than creating a kind of Space Invaders, blast ‘em out of the sky feel along the lines of Independence Day, Shyamalan feels he belongs more with directors of the past. In Signs, he is careful to build the tension so that the audience is taken on a Hitchcock like journey with the villain not being revealed until close to the closing credits. In the ...

Marandina 20.04.2003 (21.04.2003) · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...And so we come to Signs – the latest fantasy thriller from M Night Shyamalan. ***THE PLOT*** Graham Hess and his family (two kids, his brother and a pair of Alsatians) have a fairly typical life in a small Pennsylvanian country home. Graham is a retired pastor who quit his faith following a tragic accident that robbed him of his wife. 6 months have passed since then, but recently he has something else to worry about. Namely, the bloody big crop ...
...you may well sit through Signs waiting for the inevitable twist – I did – but getting there is a hell of a lot of fun. ***SIGNS POINT TO YES*** After all the (in retrospect, unfathomably) mixed reviews I’ve read on this movie, I was a little concerned that I’d be shifting around in my seat and concentrating on counting the popcorn flecks on the ground rather than being engrossed in the proceedings. Still, Unbreakable managed to divide folks as ...

peppersinclaire 16.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...and the crop circles were signs to tell the craft where to invade. - The creatures avoided water and conformed to other information given in Morgan's book on aliens and UFOs. - Bo Hess was describes as being an unusual baby with "big, round eyes" by her father and also hates water; if she was in fact half-alien, then she is following their pattern of behaviour and displaying a physical characteristic that is generally associated with most alien sightings. ...
...film would get this, and go away happy that they had just witnessed a film about an alien invasion. But, taking the second theme running through the film (spirituality), then you could give the alternative explanation of this being Judgement Day, and the invading creatures being angels who are taking the deserving people of Earth back up to Heaven with them. The evidence for this interpretation is: - Of all the people on the Hess's farm during the ...

Collingwood21 12.10.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

The first time I saw the trailer for this film, I thought to myself that I had to see it. It looked just the sort of film which would appeal to me. However after reading several opinions on here, including some by well respected writers, I had second thoughts. It wasn't exactly receiving rave reviews and looked as though it could be a big let down. But on the other hand I don't always like films which are raved about like 'Insomnia' and 'Beautiful ...
...I finally did get round to watching the film, that I wasn't put off because the film entertained me like no other has this year. I like watching the odd movie and usually catch around two or three a month. Don't get me wrong, I like watching movies but I'm no great film buff and wouldn't know one directors work from another. So although I know this film is by the acclaimed director M.Night Shylaman who gave us 'The Sixth Sense', my opinion on it ...

WormThatTurned 11.10.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...simple emotional ending. Signs is a film that will divide audiences and for once, you really do have to make up your own minds and ignore all reviews including this one. If you liked Sixth Sense and Unbreakable then this is for you, if you couldn’t hack the pace or the intelligence of the aforementioned films, then this wont do anything to make you like Shyamalan’s work. It's flawed and really doesnt answer any questions really about Crop Circles ...
...to be considered as a good movie experience. Thanks for reading. Regards, Ray How to spot a Shyamalan Movie ============================= 1)Small cast 2)Set the movie in or near Philadelphia 3)Have 1 or more children making some ridiculous allegations (I see dead people / My dad is a superhero / Theres a monster in my closet) 4)Shyamalan playing a small cameo 5)Chilling Music 6)The Ending with flashback to clues that you may have missed throughout ...

rayliu 17.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...played Dr Hill and in Signs he played Ray Reddy, the local vet. He plays these roles very well. So, what is the film about? It begins with farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) waking up in the morning to find his two children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin), not in bed. After enlisting the help of his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), he finds them in the corn field, near corn circles flattened in the corn. These corn circles are one ...
...the first of a set of unusual events that happen to the Hess family. With the dogs going mad, strange people hiding around the house and odd creatures being seen in the corn, the film builds up the suspense, while showing the disbelief and the attempts of rationalisation by Graham and his family. The story of how Graham lost his wife in a car accident is told in flash back, and his resulting loss of faith that made him give up being a priest. You ...

chachaqueen 22.10.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...main acting cast) - Signs is all about the Hess family, who are recovering after the sudden death of their wife and mother, Colleen (played by Patricia Kalember). The father, Graham Hess (played by Mel Gibson), has recently given up being a Reverend/priest, as he questions faith due to what happened to his wife. He lives at home on a farm with his sons Merrill (layed by Joaquin Phoenix) and Morgan (played by Rory Culkin) and his daughter Bo (played ...
...- My Thoughts/Opinions - Signs is a suspenseful science fiction thriller, brought to you by the director of other similar movies like the Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Village, M. Night Shyamalan. This movie has some of the usual elements of his other movies, although one thing thats slightly different is that your shown more, visually, at certain points towards the end of the movie mostly, of the aliens or presence there, though even then its ...

IzzyS 15.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...miles above most summer blockbusters. Signs is far superior to Unbreakable and only just inferior to The Sixth Sense but in terms of shocks and value for money Signs is the new champion. The Sixth Sense is better crafted but slower and only entertaining the first time. Signs has buckets of absolutely terrifying moments and a few shocks on a par with Alien. The critical reception of Signs was never going to be positive, especially when everyone is ...
...Patient and Forrest Gump. So Signs must have something going for it otherwise this review would be nothing but one long bitch about all the bits I hated (the shorter my reviews, the less I disliked). Shyamalan’s biggest advantage is that he writes and directs, so that what you see his vision and is untouched by the perils of committee writing. Whether alien films are or aren’t your thing, it is impossible not to appreciate the atmosphere and chilling ...

willgould 14.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...the 'Sixth Sense' success. Signs centres around widowed ex-reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson - yes honest!) and his children Morgan (Rory Culkin - brother of the home alone horror) and Bo (introducing Abigail Beslin). Hess's brother Merrill (Jaoquin Phoenix - brother of River) also lives with him, having moved in after the death of Graham's wife. The film open's with Graham and Merrill being awoken by his two dogs barking. He looks in on his children ...
...in his field staring at a crop circle. Graham has no idea what it is and believes it is all down to hoaxers. As the film unfolds, spooky things start to happen, as you might expect. Noises are heard on the roof and through a baby monitor. Also the family see on TV that these crops circles are appearing in large numbers all over the world. However, Graham is still sceptical and explains it away to his children as the work of 'nerds with no girlfiends'. ...

buzios 11.02.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...appear at the end of Signs as well. However, Signs does not so much finish with a twist as a coming together of all the pieces of a puzzle which were given to you throughout the movie. I felt this was a good touch even if it was possibly a little cliched. I was expecting a pretty scary film when I saw the trailers for this film, but although it wasn’t as scary as expected it was a very enjoyable film. It gave me quite a few belly laughs, but it ...
...you always seem to have to have a death or two. Unfortunately with this one it turned out to be the dogs and something about animal deaths tugs at my heart strings. The film was a 12A certificate, which would probably explain why the ‘scare’ was toned down and the laughs were increased. At one point we see the children wearing tinfoil hats, which Morgan explains are for preventing aliens from reading their minds. Then after Merrill’s been watching ...

Ankes-un-amun 16.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...several more coincidences and visual signs that all tie in. Although this is primarily quite a serious drama, there is some subtle humour as well. When Graham goes to get his sons medication, the young girl serving asks if she can confess. Against his wishes she starts to confess, the facial expressions and reactions by Mel Gibson are purely comical but within the dramatic boundaries of the film. The music to this film has been purely used to help ...
...main stream songs, but again. Signs harks back to the good old days of movie making where an orchestra is used to convey tension and emotion. M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote, directed and also acted in this film, makes an excellent job pf it. He makes you feel for the characters in this film as each of them realizes what is happening. It is also nice to have watched a film where old fashion techniques are used to convey suspense and horror; I wish ...

christianfilmcritic 26.01.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

First he brought you “The Sixth Sense”, then he brought you a movie that, some said, had very little sense at all, the Bruce Willis vehicle, “Unbreakable”. Now, the man with the name worth six thousand points at Scrabble, M. Night Shyamalan, brings you his claustrophobic view of intergalactic communication and conflict in “Signs”. It seems many critics are still desperate for the writer/director to fall flat on ...
...“Sixth Sense” have drawn some pretty long knives out for this movie. I’d like to redress that a little. “Signs” is infinitely better than the director’s last – although many reviews focus on the lameness of the ending (although I found it kind of neat!). Well, my partner and I went to the movies to check this out last night. The trailers looked reasonably compelling – but then, that fooled us the last ...

repairmanjack 16.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)

...not slow burning. Signs is his 2002 entry into the summer blockbuster market and sees Shymalan living up to his publicity as the next Spielberg. By this weekend it should cross the $200 million mark in the USA and become one of the biggest films of the year, it's success is deserved. Mel Gibson stars as Father Graham Hess, a priest who has given up on his faith when his wief is killed in a horrific accident. Now he lives on a farm in a small rural ...
...media coverage and witness the signs of alien life as strange noises are picked up on radios and shadowed figures appear to be lurking in the darkness. All the while Graham has to contend with his own inner grief over his loss. Signs is something you rarely see in a Hollywood film these days. It's extremely well made and written. It's story and characters are the things that actually make the film and I think that's why Shymalan has found success. ...

utero 16.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Signs (DVD)