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I G N S
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USA 2002
USA premiere: Aug 2, 2002 Dir: M. Night Shyamalan Starrring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix Duration: 1h 46 min |
AUTHOR'S RATING: * * *
(out of 5)
The specialist of paranormal thriller, M. Night Shyamalan ("6th sense", "Unbreakable") picks the subjects for his films from real life mysteries. In "Signs" the attention goes to crop circles, a phenomenon that has caused controversial opinions since the 70's - especially in England. Signs turns out to be a typical "space invaders" scary movie, leaving the crop circle in a minor role. Did I say "typical"? Well, actually it's not that typical...
The few characters in the film are stereotypical; Graham Hess, an ex priest and landowner who's lost his faith because of the death of his wife (Gibson), an introvert little daughter, Sci-Fi enthusiast son and a brother, a failed baseball hero (Phoenix). Additionally there is a sarcastic female sheriff of the town.
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it is disappointingly soon that we find
out the glyphs are indeed made by hostile aliens
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In the very beginning of the movie a huge glyph is found on Hess' farm, with the corn stalks mysteriously bent. The neighbour ladds are under suspicion, but why are the animals behaving in an aggressive manner? Another night the brothers wake up when the dogs are barking, and they decide to catch the vandals red-handed. To their great amazement, the persecuted visitor jumps up over the house with superhuman power. And then news start flooding about multiple crop formations in India, Middle-East and all over the world...
Here begins a battle of worldviews. The children get excited about space aliens, while the father holds on to "make-believe" theories with increasing despair. The audience is not invited into such a battle; it is disappointingly soon that we find out the glyphs are indeed made by hostile aliens. Our battle is to tolerate the slow thought process of the main character. A baby phone eventually comes to rescue...
The simple main plot is colored a story of the wife's accident, told in the form of flash-backs. As the events proceed, processing the accident conditions speeds up the questioning of rational and materialistic truths. Was the death of a loved one proof of a non-existent God, or could it be that there is a greater reason for all things? This actually becomes the main theme of "Signs", while the signs themselves are left with very little speculation. As Hess, facing an unknown threat, withdraws into the safety of his own house, he is confronted by his unknown self.
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rarely has the subject been approached through the experience of the common man... |
The story is very basic, but it speaks to you. Earth invading evil aliens have menaced the screen countless times before, but rarely has the subject been approached through the experience of the common man, in an intimate psychological suspense film. This time the spectator is not thrilled with massive visual effects, but "classical" psychological twists.
The setup is as simplified as can be. Almost everything takes place inside the home ranch and apart from a few brief appearances there are only five people involved (one guest star being Shyamalan himself). Even the aliens are shown only accidentally for a few times. The idea is to create a realistic scenario of a common family in the mercy of uncommon events.
Shyamalan can be congratulated for picking this unusual approach. Unfortunately too much stereotypic naivity makes his realism crumble down. The main characters are too simplistic, their attitudes and especially those of the media are built from big lego blocks. At times you get the feeling that all the characters are a bit mentally retarted, and neither are the possible intellectual abilities of the audience respected.
The purpose of this simplicity must be to leave room for the less visible philosophical background story. Does this observation save "Signs" from falling down? Not quite, since the spiritual message fails to impress: A story of a bitter and cold-hearted ex-priest regaining contact to his heart and his God could be an episode of "A little house on the prairie". Of course it's a pretty story, nevertheless. The eventual value of the ex baseball hero perhaps wouldn't fit the family series anymore...
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Surprisingly, the "Signs" aliens don't have a set of futuristic super weapons, nor psychokinetic powers |
The fairness of the frame story could be a disappointment to some viewers, but it certainly was not for me. On the contrary, it raised my rating at least with a full star. Finding a positive spiritual message in a story mainly filled with distressing and frightening themes is in my opinion always valuable, otherwise the anxiety remains after the film has ended. Perhaps this is not the purpose of even horror films - it is more meaningful to confront your own fears and win them in the end!
As for the space invaders part, the final solution (don't worry - I won't reveal it here!) offers a small surprise. The extremely simplified explanations for an alien visitation offered by the alien manual turn out to be insufficient. According to a basic American formula, the technologically superior aliens are wiped out by prime American heros, using a computer virus, an unbearable country music tune or an extra strong spice. Surprisingly, the "Signs" aliens don't have a set of futuristic super weapons, nor psychokinetic powers (hence they can be even locked inside the kitchen closed). And the slobby slow-brained baseball swinger may not be an ideal hero to boost the nation's low self-esteeme either (sorry, no pun intented).
