Rating of
3/4
Review - Signs (2002)
Delorted - wrote on 10/31/07
After mysterious crop circles show up in former Rev. Graham Hess' (Mel Gibson) fields, strage lights begin appearing around the world. The world is suddenly in a panic over the threat of alien invasion, while Graham, his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) and his children Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin) just try to make it through the night alive in "Signs."
I'm not sure which way to critique this film. On one hand it's a very intriguing thriller while on the other hand it's a scary look at how M. Night Shyamalan is slowly becoming the next Edward D. Wood Jr. The story in this film is solid, but the way it follows through and especially the dialogue are at times abysmal. While the acting just saves the lines, it's hard to overlook the obvious, too frequent exposition and the cheesy dialogue. The first half of the film spends way too much time stretching out the lead up to the second half, where the film changes from mystery drama to horror thriller quickly.
Probably the best thing about the film is the music, which definitely saves the film in many parts. This movie proves that without sound effects, most shocking moments in horror films would not be nearly as shocking. M. Night utilized this effect very well and made one scene in particular impossible not to jump at, no matter how many times you've seen it.
The film overall is watchable, but if you tend to enjoy dialogue this film will either make you cringe or laugh. If you're just watching the film as entertainment, it's one that I strongly recommend.
Acting: 8/10
Writing: 6/10
Video/Editing: 8/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Entertainment: 8/10
Final Score: 7.8/10
