Sign On You Crazy Diamond
 Sep 16th, 2002
Advantages:
Well - paced, genre redefining movie .
Disadvantages:
You may find the ending hard to swallow .
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
more
  peppersinclaire
About me:
Deleting account in 5 days. If you want to stay in touch, send me a guestbook message.
Member since:08.03.2001
Reviews:254
Members who trust:141
Review rated by 51 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Obsessions are an important part of our life. Love is a kind of obsession, and without it there would be a great shortage of art. Art is an obsession too, and making a statement as part of one’s art is a very meaningful experience. Similarly, people are willing to look for meaning in things that may or may not have any. The formation of sediment at the bottom of one’s tea cup. The way a penny falls. Or, giant patterns crushed into fields of barley. 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 pattern that has emerged overnight in one of his corn fields. As news develops that similar patterns are “cropping” (ha ha) up all over the world, the Hess family look for answers from every available source, whilst trying to maintain the stability of the family unit. Hampering this – and their sanity – are mysterious figures on their rooftop, strange clicking noises over an old baby monitor and a largely unseen presence that may just pre-empt something far more disturbing than a simple family rift…
* * * * *
Now, if you’ve seen a Shyamalan movie before then you’ll know he’s the master of slow-burn drama and is similarly gifted in the art of the revelatory twist. So 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 much as this movie has and I loved that movie. So I was pleased as punch that this turned out to be another well-crafted piece of thoughtful entertainment, with a plot that demands your unadulterated attention. Opening right away with a scene that sets up Graham’s concern for his children and the occurrence of the spherical corn-flattening puzzle, Shyamalan quickly pushes the crop circles to the back of the proceedings, concentrating instead on the supposed meaning behind them and what effect it has on Hess and the clan. This may well be a problem for those expecting a movie demystifying the circles. In fact, this flick may well alienate quite a few viewers; mainly because of the low-key approach it has towards some large concepts. I found the manner in which the story was kept personal and small very refreshing – we only really encounter things at the same level as the family Hess does. This means no bang-a-boom flashy visuals or explosions, which may be expected as the magnitude of the events surrounding the family sink in. I have to stay vague about the nature of the threat to the family, in case I manage to spoil anything for you – but needless to say there is a real menace out there – finding out what it is and what it means is all part of the journey.
Thankfully, there is a good balance of suspense to comedy. The concept is fantastical but the tension and scares are very effective – mostly based around very simple things like dogs barking or shadows passing windows. The comedy comes in very handy with relief from the leave-your-chair jumps. The subtle jokes that arose in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were sparse – here, the laughs are surprisingly frequent, and very welcome. At the screening I attended, everyone was having a blast, screaming at the shocks and giggling nervously afterwards, and laughter broke out all over when the gags happened. The only person who wasn’t having a good time was the woman sitting next to me who butted my arm off the arm rest when she sat down, and muttered to herself every time anyone in the room reacted to anything. Really – if you don’t want people “ruining” a movie for you by enjoying themselves, don’t go to a big room full of them! Anyhoo – the suspense is amped up to great effect – cornfields are scary anyway and this just shows off that fact. Best watched in a loud cinematorium, there are bizarre clicks and grunts, scrapings and thuds, letting the imagination do the work and the cinema cup holders serve a new purpose – as hand grips! If you’re used to Shyamalan’s movies then you shouldn’t be too shocked that he’s assembled a great cast once more and used their powers exceptionally. Mel Gibson erases any memory of his more crazy-violent roles as a put-upon father trying to give hope to his kin when he has no faith to back it up with. His morals as an ex-preacher conflict with events sometimes (especially in a hilarious scene in which he and his brother attempt to scare off the kids they suspect made the crop circles) and there is one encounter in which he nearly reverts to Angry Mel, but this is an impressive, understated performance on a par with Bruce Willis’ turns in the previous Shyamalan features. Equally impressive is – well – everyone else. Joaquin Phoenix is as understated as Gibson in his role as the supportive brother, and the kids (one of whom is the brother of Macaulay Culkin) are mature and believable. As a family they are believable and deserving of sympathy – especially in the final reel. And watch out for Shyamalan once more making a cameo appearance, this time in a rather more necessary role than you’d expect.
***MY SOURCES SAY NO*** I have to say that the ending is potentially the biggest problem with the movie. In fact, your enjoyment of everything that precedes it may well be knocked out of the park, depending on whether or not you buy the twist. In the grand tradition of Shyamalan movies, there is a reveal highlighting the points you may have missed that bring meaning to the revelations. I thought the ending was more than appropriate, dramatically effective and easy to accept. Others disagree. The fact of the matter is - the entire movie is based around such a fantastic premise that I found it easy to keep an open mind. The movie doesn’t come to a massive effects filled finale – and maybe this is the problem people are having with it. It’s easy to get jaded by SFX driven movies, and as long as you can shake off the expectations of a typical Hollywood ending and accept a more personal and emotional climax, your enjoyment of Signs will not diminish.
It should be noted that this has been rated 12A which means children under 12 can see the movie if accompanied by someone over 18 - still there are some scenes of terror that may not sit right with very young ones, so be warned! Shyamalan may not make any new friends with this third outing in his reinvention of genre clichés, but he’s keeping a firm hold of die-hard fans of his work – namely me! I just can’t comprehend the “oh-so-average” slating this has received from some magazines, as if they can’t quite switch off the analysis and just go along for the ride. It’s certainly no less fantastical than Unbreakable and as an antidote to cruddy sci-fi excuses like Impostor or The One it’s good medicine. I’d see this again in a second, especially as repeat viewings will no doubt bring to light more important details that may have been overlooked during the first encounter. A second – or maybe a third encounter sounds like quite a good idea…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Things I learned from watching this movie: o Ex-preachers are no good at being scary.
o When abroad, don’t drink the water.
o Dogs and barbecue implements don’t mix.
o “Douche bag” is a cuss.
o When in doubt, throw a rock.
o Cheeseburgers, French toast and spaghetti on the same plate cause grown men to weep.
Thanks for reading! © P$ 2002
***WARNING - If you don't like spoilers, do NOT read the comments left on this review!***
Compare Prices
sorted by Price
Read more on this product
|
|
![Signs [DTS] [DVD] [2002]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/76771759.jpg)
![Vital Signs (DVD) [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78188687.jpg)
25.10.2002 12:54
great film ive seen it twise, good op thanks
21.10.2002 22:23
great op!!
17.09.2002 17:36
Thanks for the warning (about the comments). I often look at what other people thought - I will definitely NOT do so on this occasion! This is a film I want to see. Will (Gould) liked it, and you liked it. That's recommendation enough. Whether I actually make it to the cinema is another thing... still haven't seen "Minority Report". TT.