Signs (2002) (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan Perregaux]

The son having athsma, the daughter having odd water glass issues, and the mother giving prophetic words of warning at the moment of her death are not meant to be "convenient." They are all part of a miracle, one that returned a man of God back to his faith.

 

[Yee-Ming]

count me as one who enjoyed the movie.

as has already been debated extensively, I think it's about faith, whether there's a higher power watching etc, rather than the aliens. when the "water resolution" popped up, I realised that couldn't be the "signature twist", since it was so bloody obvious when Night himself observed aliens never landed near water. the "twist" to me, if you can even elevate it to that level, was how Hess's initial belief that there was no higher power was "proven" wrong, when everything came together to save his family.

contrived, yes. but it's a movie, what do you expect?

turning to other points, technologically there's no reason why the aliens can't be streets ahead of us in interstellar travel, but behind in others. I wasn't a history major and no doubt others with more extensive knowledge of this can chime in, but I'm sure in days past, some countries/ cultures/ civilisations were more advanced in particular fields whilst inferior in others when compared to another on the other side of the globe. today with globalisation etc it seems less likely, but even now I'm sure there are some areas where a small iddy-biddy country might have a slight advantage in some technology over the mighty USA.

and as pointed out, they didn't wear environmental suits since they had their own camouflage "outfits". external suits would negate their innate abilities.

it's not clear, but perhaps the aliens made a point of "attacking" relatively dry locales. Mexico City strikes me as being quite arid, and of course the Middle East as well. Pennsylvania wouldn't be quite so dry of course, Arizona would have made more sense, but less crops in Arizona, no? and Night always shoots in Philly, I guess 30 (or was it 45?) mins out of Philly is as far as he'll stray...

dew doesn't condense straightaway, it's at it's "wettest" just before dawn (i.e. had the longest time to condense), so if the alien disturbances in the corn field were a few hours after sunset, say around 10-11pm, dew would not have necessarily condensed yet anyway. but I agree this is a rather glaring loophole, given that our planet as a whole is a pretty rainy place especially from the point of view of aliens that are hurt by it. perhaps the water issue would've been less of a problem if Night wasn't fixed on Philly/PA and had been willing to set the story in a drier part of the US.

 

[Lee J. Buividas]

I rented this movie the other night and missed it in the theaters, which makes me very very happy that I did not waste my time seeing this in the theater. This is one piece of crap movie. The only worse movie that I saw this year was "Pluto Nash" I don't have a clue how anyone could enjoy this movie. Boring Boring Boring Supense zero!! Good plot almost non existent!! Acting non!!! I don't know anyone that liked this movie, even the girl at the video store started laughing when she checked me out. When I brought it back, before I could say a thing, she says "The movie really sucked, didn't it" then she started laughing again as she walked away, before I could reply. That says it all!!!!!!

Lee J. Buividas

 

[Richard_D_Ramirez]

I am beginning to wonder if the people who didn't like Signs really understood the film.
Let me pose this question: "What do you think the title of Signs really means?" Much like the conversation between Graham and Merril in the film, how you answer this question will determine how you interpret the film.
8^B

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Oh shit, the girl at your video store didn't like the movie?

Guess I better go delete my five-star review for the film.

I feel enlightened now.

 

[Steve Christou]

I feel enlightened now.

I know how you feel Scott, after reading some of those posts I've been very tempted to re-edit my review and add words like 'horrible' and 'unwatchable' and 'Lilo & Stitch was scarier' just in case I get ridiculed for actually enjoying Signs.

 

[Tim Glover]

I'm really surprised at some of the negative feelings about Signs. After all it made about 225 million last summer and everyone I know who saw it at the theater or recently on dvd, has loved it.

I realize that not all movies will get an A+ from everyone, but this one was really great and unusually refreshing.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm not that's just people for you!




Crawdaddy

 

[Eve T]

LMAOROTF!

I loved this film, there were moments while watching it that I held my breath and forgot to breath. The scene where they were at the dinner table and Mel Broke down was so heart wrenching and the acting so splendid that I thought to myself, wow, this movie ROCKS!
This movie also had a lot of small comedic moments in it that put many smiles on my face.
I saw it twice at the theater and own the DVD as I do with all MNS films. I've not been dissapointed with any of his films whatsoever.
Hmmmmm think I'll go watch Unbreakable now........

 

[David Rogers]

Man, I'm so not going back into Signs.

Very excellent movie, with tons of creativity and tremendous use of camera and pacing to craft a story. If you don't like aliens I can't help you. If you don't like M NightS I can't help you.

Hey, Road House is coming out in a few weeks. Maybe you can look forward to that more than most of us.

 

[Angelo.M]

I missed signs in the theater, and just caught it on DVD. Wow. Not a perfect film, and not M. Night's best yet (unbreakable gets the nod), but a great one nonetheless. This could easily have been nothing more than an extended episode of the twilight zone, but Night elevates it, and makes it far more contemplative. And claustrophobic.

As far as some people's dissatisfaction with the ending, I thought it was well-conceived. I agree with Roger Ebert: "'signs' is all buildup. It's still building when it's over."

This guy has a masterpiece in him yet.

 

[Holadem]

"What do you think the title of Signs really means?"

MNS movies have a way of taking a whole different meaning once they have ended and THAT for me is a feat.
It's not so much about the "surprise" as in what light the movie appears after it has ended.
The only problem I can think of is the sloppy/inconsistent handling of the aliens. Bu that becomes far less important once the true meaning of the movie is revealed.
AFAIK, MNS has 3 for 3. If his next movie is half as good as any of the previous three, it will be good enough for me.
--
Holadem

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I finally caught up with the movie last night on DVD and enjoyed it despite a rather contrived faith-based conclusion; although I suppose I can accept someone who is already thoroughly devoted to the notion of a deity deciding that what God does is all for the best, a little examination indicates that more than anything there were just bits of good luck. For instance, the climactic prophecy about "Swing away" was actually pretty darned ineffectual; "Hose 'em down" would have been more useful.

By the same token, this does give the piece a level of ambiguity that allows for some highly interesting discussion (such as the previous 17 pages).

I'm of the notion that there's something wrong with the Hess' well, since the little girl keeps going on about how it tastes funny. Those impurities might be what kills the alien, not the water itself. Although the alien-hybrid theory does have a little life, considering that MNS in the extras talks about how one of the sources is Invasion of the Body Snatchers....unless Bo is a pod person, I fail to see the influence at all, while the other sources noted, such as Night of the Living Dead are obvious.

But I don't understand the people who think there was no suspense. The movie was nothing BUT suspense, with some great comic relief moments, like the foil hats. While there are some issues with the plot points, I can't fault the technique one bit here.

 

[derek]

I have to agree with Holodem here. I just saw the DVD and a good movie to me is one that keeps you thinking after the lights turn up. 'Signs' instigates contemplation (as with MNS previous films) and to me that shows off his enormous talent. I also feel the aliens/invasion was somewhat sloppy...but I realized its a 'pop culture' treatment on the alien/ufo topic with a tip of the hat to 50 B movies. The alien plot is more enjoyable in a fun, creepy, haunted house kinda way. The movie is grounded in the struggles and triumphs of faith and family and that is what truly makes it powerful.

 

[Jefferson Morris]

I'm of the notion that there's something wrong with the Hess' well, since the little girl keeps going on about how it tastes funny.

An interesting notion, although from a standpoint of strict storytelling mechanics, I suspect Shyamalan just had Bo complaining about the water in order to justify her leaving glasses of it everywhere and enable the climax.
Like many here, I revisited this film on DVD recently, and found it still had a visceral impact. I still more or less had to cover my eyes during the pantry scene. Say what you want about Shyamalan, but the skill behind that simple sequence is undeniable.
Of course, no one appears to be more aware of Shyamalan's talent than Shyamalan himself, as the supplements to the disc attest. Nevertheless, I eagerly await whatever he has in store next.
--Jefferson Morris

 

[likestowatch]

Alright, I've read most of this thread (off and on) and search this thread, but nobody has brought up one part of the story concerning Merrill Hess. This is something that I thought of after seeing the film in the theater. I don't know if Night planned this or if I'm just reading into something that isn't in the film. When the Hess family goes to town and they seperate into three groups, Merrill wanders down to the Army recruiter. Now, fitting in with the theme of the film, which I believe to be 'Everything Happens for a Reason', why do you guys feel that he's compelled to join the Army? We see Merrill reading the Army brochure in a later scene. Why? What happens at the end of the film to support this idea? It fits in with the theme of the film. My explanation is simple. Does anyone know what the Army's slogan is? The new and old slogans work. I'll leave it at that.
Like I said earlier. I don't know if Night planned that or if it's just me reading more into it. Why else would there be a scene with Merrill wandering down to the recruiter and later reading an Army brochure?

 

[Brian_J]

Regarding the rain, dew "issue" has it occurred to anyone that the reason water might harm them is not because its water but because of what we put in our water supplies? Like Fluoride, etc. The girl was constantly not liking the way the water tastes and smell, which was strange btw. Brian

 

[Marvin Richardson]

I was joking, with all the defenders of his last one, usuing "It's about faith, not aliens" argument.

So because he didn't make the movie you wanted anyone who liked the movie and saw it as about faith is making it up?
Why then do you suppose Mel Gibson was a minister who had given up the church? Just to make him colorful?

 

[Ernest Rister]

Signs *was* about faith, not aliens. That's why it is such a bad movie.

Faith is a belief in something, something for which you have no proof. At the beginning of Signs, Gibson no longer believes in God, but by the end, he realizes everything has transpired according to God's plan. The existence of God is proved to him, and he returns to his work as a priest.

That's not faith. Gibson has proof. Not believing in God at that point would be like not believing in rain.

That's why Signs blows...it is a beautifully shot movie, with outstanding performances, but the script doesn't work. The movie is about Faith, but doesn't really understand Faith. I won't even get into the whole "water is toxic to aliens" bit.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

I don't understand that logic at all.