Signs (2002)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan

Writer (WGA):

M. Night Shyamalan (written by)

Release Date:

2 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It's Not Like They Didn't Warn Us.

Plot:

A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.

Plot Keywords:

Crop Circle | Farm | Pennsylvania | Water | Alien

Awards:

2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Rev. Graham Hess
Joaquin Phoenix	...	Merrill Hess
Rory Culkin	...	Morgan Hess
Abigail Breslin	...	Bo Hess
Cherry Jones	...	Officer Paski
M. Night Shyamalan	...	Ray Reddy
Patricia Kalember	...	Colleen Hess
Ted Sutton	...	SFC Cunningham
Merritt Wever	...	Tracey Abernathy, the Pharmacist
Lanny Flaherty	...	Mr. Nathan
Marion McCorry	...	Mrs. Nathan
Michael Showalter	...	Lionel Prichard
Kevin Pires	...	Brazilian Birthday Boy
Clifford David	...	Columbia University Professor
Rhonda Overby	...	Sarah Hughes

Also Known As:

M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some frightening moments.

Runtime:

106 min | Spain:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Germany:12 (f) | Japan:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:14 | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Ireland:12 (video rating) | Ireland:15PG (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2003) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39105) | Venezuela:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

This film was shot in Newtown, PA. The scene which takes place in "2 Aldo's Pizzeria" is really a family-run pizzeria called "Mom's Bake at Home Pizza".

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Graham asks Bo to turn up the volume on the TV, she reaches forward and the volume increases before she makes contact with the button. Also, she then holds her finger on the button but the volume does not continue to increase, instead, it remains constant.

Quotes:

Graham Hess: Caroline. I don't want you calling me 'Father' anymore.
Officer Caroline: What's wrong?
Graham Hess: I don't hear my children.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Phoenix 1 Aliens 0

One wishes Signs to have lived to the potential it shows in the first part, where we are engrossed in what's going on, scared at times and amused by this mysterious film.

M. Night Shyamalan has been very successful in his previous features. This, unfortunately, falls flat just when a very strong ending is needed. Like many other fans, I felt manipulated and let down by this movie.

It's very easy to see what's going on in the Mel Gibson's character. His loss of faith, his grief for a lost wife, his fears of confronting reality and moving on with his life. Those things are deeper than what we are let to know, because on the surface it is one thing, but deep down it has nothing to do with the obvious 'signs' of the title. The fact that he's a religious figure is even more confusing. Obviously, he must be a protestant minister, what with the family and all, but there are moments that are puzzling because of this ambiguity.

Had this script been brought to the screen with a lesser known director, it probably would have had a more satisfactory resolution, because the ending, with Joaquin at the bat, is very hard to swallow.

Let's hope Mr. Night Shyamalan finds his way for the next time out.