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Plot Summary
After
the death of his wife the Reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) turned his
back on the church and turned from preaching to farming. Six months later
strange things are happening on his farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
First he wakes up to discover that part of his corn crops have been
flatten to form perfectly symmetric circles and shapes known as “crop
circles”. He assumes it is just some stupid prank but then discovers
that there have been several cases not only in the area but also around
the world. He learns that animals have been acting strange and he is
awoken one night to see someone or something on the roof of his barn.
After watching TV reports his two young children are convinced that an
alien invasion is imminent…
Review
I had great expectation for
this movie especially as M. Night Shyamalan who also directed The Sixth
Sense and Unbreakable directed it. Both of these movies
provided clever twists at the end. Unfortunately Signs didn’t
quite live up to my expectations. It sounded like the type of movie that
promised suspense, tension and plenty of scary jumps but didn’t quite
deliver. The build up of mysterious happenings on the farm seemed to lack
any real suspense and the ending was a little weak.
Somehow I couldn’t quite
relate to Mel Gibson’s character of preacher-turned-farmer and the
family portrayed in the movie didn’t quite feel right. Because of this I
became a bit disinterested in their fate.
The movie has many elements:
family drama, spiritual quest, mystery and thriller. Perhaps the movie
tries to be too many things and doesn’t quite meet any of them.
Nonetheless, it still has
something to offer and the movie puts forward some interesting ideas
(besides the idea that we are not alone in the universe!). The movie
explores ideas such as: A coincidence is more than just a coincidence and
things happen for a reason. Is there such a thing as miracles or just good
luck? Is there someone looking out for us? Will there be some divine
intervention to protect us?
Lasting
thought: Is there someone looking out for us or do we just need to believe
that there is?
Reviewed by Niall Quinn,
Premier Movie Reviews
2002 |