IMDB Rating: 6.90, 62791 votes |
Taglines
Mel Gibson plays a former priest who lost his faith after his wife was killed in a freak car accident. Six months later, he discovers a gigantic crop circle in his yard, similar events happen all over the world. Graham's children think it's aliens, his brother thinks it's pranksters, and Graham doesn't know what to think. The crop circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles. However, as more and more strange events occur, he regains his faith and realizes something big is coming, and it's probably not going to be friendly.Actors
|
-
Genres
- Action (662)
- Adventure (393)
- Animation (104)
- Biography (56)
- Comedy (853)
- Crime (450)
- Documentary (15)
- Drama (1116)
- Family (199)
- Fantasy (254)
- Film-Noir (1)
- History (41)
- Horror (359)
- Music (49)
- Musical (44)
- Mystery (199)
- Romance (366)
- Sci-Fi (243)
- Short (11)
- Sport (66)
- Thriller (855)
- War (79)
- Western (50)
-
Year
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1948 1946 1945 1944 1942 1941 1939 1936
33 Comments
waste of time.
m night shamalamadingdong is trying to be the next hitchcock, or something, or watever, but he is NOT. the alien was actually quite amusing. to funny to be scary, really.
that’s all i have to say. . .
Why is everyone say that this is good?
it had mel gibson thats about it! the movie had good acting but the plot and everything else was so dumb.The alien looked almost like the Grinch. lol
Nice suspense, HUGE holes in logic and plot, cheese-a-rific ending.
Does aliens like corndogs?
Not the most exciting move the director ever created, but it makes five points cause of the fine acting and the slow but interesting story.
The movie lacks in what used to be Shamylayan (or whatever he spells) strength. The wonderful twists that he used with great success in the much finer movies "The Sixth sense" and "Unbreakable".
Overall it’s ok.
But a little disappointment.
see it for the Cinematography, if anything!
I found some parts of this film completely unbelievable, and not necessarily in a good way. However, the images and camera tricks are wonderful, and M. Night Shamalayan does a wonderful job building suspense and showcasing the power of off-screen violence/fear. The Hitchcock elements are throughout. I love the scene where the alien is in the pantry and the Mel Gibson character is looking under the door! So cool. Characters and story aren’t the best, but the film provides for good conversation afterwards.
Exceptionally well done.
E.T. Go Home.
Have a taste of down home ass whoop, earthling style.
Gaping plot holes prevent this movie from being a great movie, but it was still quite fun. Shyamalan’s strength is in his ability to build tension, that’s for sure.
That video tape footage from South America… Yes, you know it’s coming, but it’s still bone chilling when you see it.
good, but the story was not that great.
Entertaining but annoyingly preachy
Typical hollywood scare movie - did not develop any mystery of the crop circle -
No plot development - Mel Gibson should be ashamed of himself for excepting the role. No investigation of the Crop circle mystery.
Assinine cure for beating the enemy. No development of daughters water taste.
It was a cheap remake of War of the Worlds.
Edge of your seat scary, and sometimes fall off your seat funny.
For all of the allusions that "Signs" is a science fiction/horror film, the true scope of this picture is much deeper and much more poignant. The forth picture by M. Night Shyamalan, "Signs", at its core, is the story of one man’s struggle with his faith, or lack there of, in God.
Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) awakens one morning to discover his cornfield victimized by a crop circle, those mysterious shapes and impressions that have been randomly appearing across the globe since the late 1980’s. Despite the protests of his two children, Morgan and Bo (played brilliantly by Rory Culkin and newcomer Abigail Breslin respectively), that something more sinister is afoot and the subtle warnings of bizarre behavior about town from the local sheriff (Cherry Jones), Graham attributes the vandalism to a couple of local "yahoos".
It is with this sense of foreboding that "Signs" begins its assault on your senses and nerves. From there Shyamalan begins to dial up the tension. Family pets begin to turn on their owners, crop circles appear in record numbers all over the world and strange "creatures" start shadowing the Hess farmhouse, as well as turning up on CNN "Breaking News". Even a baby monitor, one of the most benevolent of items, transcends its intended purpose and becomes a harbinger of impending doom.
Parallels can easily be drawn between "Signs", "War of the Worlds" and the much more recent "Independence Day", but what gives Shyamalan’s work its uniqueness (despite its genre roots) as compared with the aforementioned movies is the character development and underlying story. Graham is far from the "everyman" character found in most modern films; he is much more complex. Having turned his back on God due to the tragic and apparently senseless death of his wife (played sentimentally by Patricia Kalember) six months previous, Graham finds himself in the role of a single father trying to provide for his children while concurrently cutting them off from the world and God (this is made even more harsh given that Graham’s occupation prior to his wife’s death was that of a priest). His isolationist creed is never said outright, but it is more than alluded to especially sense the only other person he accepts into his fold is his brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), who serves as a surrogate mother to both Morgan and Bo and confidant to Graham. The isolationist aspect of "Signs" turns maddeningly claustrophobic as the film progresses. The scope of the movie is worldwide, but we view it from the confines of the Hess farm. When the television and radios lose their respective signals, we are as cut off as they are.
M. Night Shymalan is renowned for the little "twists" he puts in near the end of his movies ("The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable"). There is not necessarily such a twist present in "Signs". More over, the twist takes place gradually throughout the film as you watch Graham’s character progress from one end of the spectrum to the next. It is truly heartbreaking to watch him struggle with his faith and the events that cause his paradigm to change so vehemently. By the movie’s end there are no loose ends left dangling. Every little nuance and random event, from Bo’s phobia about "water contamination" to Merrill’s former vocation as a minor league baseball player, come together in a confluence that answers the ever dominant question, "Does everything happen for a reason or is it all just random chance".
Be advised that "Signs" is rated PG-13 for some language and eerie situations. There are also a few "gotcha" moments. For those faint of heart be sure to shield your eyes when Graham uses a butcher knife to see what is hiding behind a neighbor’s pantry door. You have been warned
WOW, Outstanding movie, loaded with tension. I LOVED IT!!
Riveting and suspenful! M. Night Shyamalan could be the next Alfred Hitchc**k.
not what you where expecting
this movie was not what i was expecting at all. i went thinking that it was going to be a crop circle and thats not what it was.
the comedy is well mix with the trill
M. Night Shyamalan has become one of the best director with only 3 movies under his belt.
go see this one you eont regret it
Edge-of-your-seat intensity the WHOLE time…
This movie is extremely well-done in all aspects!!
Sometimes ridiculous, sometimes scary, but mostly kickass
This movie is a surprisingly well blended mix of humor and chills, making up for the tedium of Unbreakable and rivaling Sixth Sense. Written and directed by M. Night Shyalaman, the concept of showing how a small farming community, cut off from the outside world, copes during a hostile alien invasion proves much scarier than most alien movies. The acting is decent, the directing is stellar and the movie has enough to satisfy any movie patron. Hopefully, Mr. Shyalaman will keep creating these fantastic movies.
I was scared…and so was everyone else in the theater
I really liked this movie. I was entertained, and they did a good job of portraying a real family. For people who dont’ get the significance of the wife and the tree…c’mon now it was just moving Gibson’s character into full circle.
She saved their lives…it was a story about a rural family dealing with the grief of losing a family member…all questioning faith in his/her own way. Aliens come and divide them…and then pull them together.
I admit the sick kid bit has gotten old, but I enjoyed this movie. And seeing the alien in the video from South America really got me.
Really well done..
He outdid Unbreakable for certain - this writer, producer, director has significant talent!
The cameo threw me off though. Every time I saw him, I kept thinking, that’s "the guy".. it took me out of the movie.
Excellent Thriller, great acting, moments of tension mixed with humor!!
Wake me up when it’s over
Can you say "one-hit wonder"? M. Night Shyamalan’s movies are getting progressively worse. "The Sixth Sense" was an excellently-crafted thriller that delivered the chills and had a more-than-satisfying twist ending. Then came "Unbreakable," which had a nice premise but was poorly executed and not well-received. Now we’ve arrived at "Signs," a movie that had a lot of potential but ultimately didn’t deliver. It can’t decide what it wants to be about–crop circles? aliens? a reverend rediscovering his faith? all of the above? I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work. The suspense builds and builds and builds and builds and… what? It amounts to a whole lot of nothing. The only thing that saves it from a 0/1/2 score is the Bernard Herrmann-like use of violins and pianos in order to create a creepy atmosphere. Other than that, it’s very disappointing.
concur with "What were they thinking?"
Seems like most folks liked this movie a lot. I’m in the minority, thot the aliens looked like they were from the 50s. Movie was like one of those old planes which couldn’t quite get off the ground. And what’s the relevance of the Mel’s wife being held together by a truck against a tree??
Not as powerful or thrilling as I wanted it to be but still worth it.
I CANT BELIEVE IT!
this movie was bad. it had like 2 good parts and thats it. it was boring. the aliens were cheap looking. they put jokes in at the scary parts. everyone says "it was the best movie ever" and i disagree totally.
Good, but he shouldn’t act in his movies.
What Were They Thinking? We Both Thought
This movie had a good message, humor & fright points that were very effective. But aliens who had the higher intelligence to create complex earth maps, & advanced spacecraft, but who couldn’t get thru old wooden doors or doorknobs? And they’re ugly ‘monsters’ to boot-just didn’t match up. People were quiet as they exited.
very cool movie. had me twitching and jumping.
Well made, well acted, suspenseful, scary.
jump alot wish more aliens bettr than others but not 6 sense, spooky
Average Hollywood fare
Plot: 4
Originality: 5
Visuals: 7
Acting: 7
Overall: 5.75
Slow moving, great shock value!
Coming out from this movie I was thrilled. It was simply a ton of fun.
Teh movie is a bit slow moving (but I like that … gives you time to think about what happened and what will happen - thus getting you more into the movie) but it’s packed with a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You will find yourself gasping with shock only to laugh like a maniac 30 seconds later and again 30 seconds later crying at the tragic story.
I still think 6th sense was a better movie than Signs, but this was definately a better movie than Unbreakable.
Good!
Found myself thinking "how are they going to resolve this?" in a couple of places; but it wasn’t bad for a Friday afternoon matinee. Mel seems to be aging well and he’s totally believable in the role of grieving widower and dad. The plot centers on a small area and gets very shallow beyond that.