Too stupid for words. Contrived story and badly executed film.

Walk out of the theater Casey, walk out of the theater.

There have een a few bad films over the years that go to great lengths to insult the viewers' intelligence. But "Signs" takes the cake. 2/10 instead of 1/10 just for some good camera work and my generous mood. Otherwise, an awful film in countless ways.

These reviews are indeed surprising. This film is a work of genius from the mind of M. Night Shamylan, but it still dissapoints me that his newer works don't have the same gripping, terrifying and awe-inspiring feel.

A tacky morality play packaged in a lackluster retelling of War of the Worlds, delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

A thoroughly under-rated masterpiece. After watching the trailers for this movie, I can see why some people were disapointed. The trailers seemed to have been geared to attract the 'War of the Worlds' fans. However, a lot of peop-le seemed to have missed the raw craft and style with which 'Signs' is executed. To begin with, M.Night Shalamyn's movies scare me the most out of any other movies I have seen. His use of manipulative camera angles, building music, and slow development create some truly memorable moments. On top of this, the back-story is extremely believable, the acting is unique and top-notch, and the musical score is brilliant. It is a very subtle movie, however, so only people who actually like HORROR should watch it, and watch it alone. All you guys who just want to see blood and boobs should watch Hostel or some other piece of garbage with your friends.… Expand

Yes the statement that the director is trying to make is silly and heavy handed. However, his ability to make the events seem like they could really happen and the reactions of the characters play out very realistically before they collapse at the end. The build up is definitely worth putting up with some dissapointment at the end.

Horrible Movie. Cheesy and unrealistic. It advertised that it is going to follow the mythology of Earth's encounters with extra-terrestrials. Instead you get a completely shallow suspense film with an unoriginal story. If you want good science fiction you will be terribly disappointed.

This is a movie about hope. It's tagline for me is "Can it be there are no coincidents?". Some people think that it advocates religion and faith. I think the return of Graham at the end to religion is a plot device and a necessary parabol for everyone else, as we all have hopes and faith, each at different grounds. I felt deeply emotional by the end of this film. A miracle is the final ring of a chain which start from us. Among the most humanist film I've seen.… Expand

Great suspense movie by a good director. I liked this one better than The Sixth Sense. Acting is good and the theme is different even though it looks different. A scarier version of Close Encounters, this film truly deserves more credit than some duds here think. Many critics are hot-headed dumbsters who can't judge a good movie. These guys find pleasure in citicizing rather than encouraging.… Expand

A great break from the cliche apocalyptic, end-of-the-world crisis alien invasion movies.

This is the best alien invasion movie I have seen. The tension that is created draws you in and the reactions of the characters to the situation presented is very believable. This guy is a great director!

Signs is exactly what the horror genre needed-a jolt of originality to the seemingly repetitive horror settings. This movie drips with originality, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. M Night Shyamalan-I salute you.

this is a horror movie....I thought it was a comedy. If this is actually suppost to fit into the horror genre then ill give it mark that is due but as a comedy its a 4 because it there were too many boring parts between the funny bits. By the way, no im not smoking anything to all the people who liked this movie, when I watched this the whole theater burst out laughing in some scenes.

Once again Mr. Shyamalan makes another film that seriously dents what reputation he had left as a director and writer. He manages to take some interesting themes and then cheats the viewer with a simplistic and cop-out ending which left me wanting to put my foot through the TV screen! Regardless of how good a movie is, what directors need to remember is the viewers lasting impression of a film is how the strands are brought together at the end. After two good first efforts Mr. Shyamalan is hurtling into meltdown.… Expand

Entertaining but lacking orginiality and reasonability.

I'm surprised by the mediocre reviews! I love this movie. I think people get mad because it is not the horror movie they expected. Signs is clever; funny, scary, and just entertaining!

By Night Shalaman, who appears in the movie as Ray. An homage to Satyajit Ray? There's a scene of birds bursting into the sky that could be an homage to Aparjito. Anyway, what a silly movie. What's with these aliens coming to earth to harvest corn and then some prime A human steak? Why pick on the most intelligent lifeform on the planet? Couldn't they just raid Tyson's chicken farm instead? Probably taste better and humans probably wouldn't get so upset except for shareholders of KFC. And, what's with these highly advanced critters going about Earth without weapons except claws and wrist stink bomb? And, if they can navigate through the galaxies, why a need to mark out puny little earth with signs across every hickville around the globe? If they really need a map, why not just raid a Rand McNally store? And, if they want people for food, why bother to scatter their forces across the globe? China and India has tons of people. Why not just raid Shanghai in a blitzkrieg attack and take off with half a million Chinese, hopefully including a Chinese chef who can cook up his countrymen real good? And, we can go on and on. Pure idiocy. In fact, the movie is a hodgepodge of Close Encounters of the Nasty Kind, Night of the Invading Aliens, Sacrifice, Blair Alien Project, The Spaxorcist, Schindler's Walkietalkie, and bunch of others not even worth mentioning. Unwittingly, it's kind of a metaphor for Hollywood, how it leaves its trashy marks all over the globe, desecrating cultures and communities. On the plus side, Mr. Night relies more on suspense and drama than special effects. For a sci-fi film, the focus is on the man and community, not on science and technology. Much of what we hear about aliens comes thru tv reports and this is highly effective, even very realistic as most of us get our information thru second hand sources. We feel both shielded from the horror as well more isolated and vulnerable. It's as though idea of human community linked by electronic devices is fragile at best. Also, it favors a personal or spiritual victory over agit-prop populist triumph in most alien invaders movies. Ultimately, what matters is not whether you win or lose but whether you maintain a sense of dignity and grace to the end. The scene in the cellar is reasonably moving, suggestive of Jews waiting for their fate in poison gas chambers. In this regard, the movie is less sci-fi movie than sci-fi scenario as allegory for man's loss and recovery of faith, just as Tarkovsky's Sacrifice used its End of the World theme to explore the depths of the human soul, tapping into the area between reason and madness,hope and despair. The film is also notable as the most hushed mainstream sci-fi film since I don't know what. The movie's almost entirely devoid of bombasm. There are many quiet moments where two people share their intimate feelings or thoughts. Performances are uniformly good; Gibson is beautiful. The usual John William-like score is completely missing, for better or worse. Though Mr. Night is obviously a student of Spielberg, he has a gentler touch, a more meditative approach, though his conception of space aliens is still pure 50s sci-fi tomfoolery. And, it reminded me Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, which also had space aliens. In that movie one of the producers complains to Sandy Bates that gloom and doom don't sell tickets in Kansas City. So, despite Mr. Nights's rather unorthodox approach throughout, he had to end with it with the Kansas City slugger. Is Signs the only sci-fi movie with religious protagonist? This makes it somewhat interesting. Most space alien movies seem to imply that man wins or loses thanks purely to external force. Good aliens bring blessing and wisdom. Or, bad aliens bring out the superhuman in us and we wage a superduper war and kick the hell out of them. But, Signs has man grappling with the self in face of the unknown. Of course, Solaris is about man facing the unknown only as a mirror, but man does interact with the unknown. In Signs, Gibson withdraws, not only within his house but deep into his soul, against the onslaught of the unknown. Stalker is perhaps another sci-fi movie where self-exploration matters more than sci-fi mumbo jumbo, but even this film had characters trying to interact with the alien or mysterious power of the zone. Signs is much lonelier because man is simply alone, where resistance against nor enlightening unity with the unknown are not viable options; where man can only dig into the wellspring of... well, not exactly hope, but some kind of faith. There's a funny parallel between Sixth Sense and Signs. I didn't believe a moment of Sixth Sense but Willis's realization upon seeing the ring fall was deeply moving. Same with Signs. The premise is ridiculous but Nightrama taps into sad, poetic, vulnerable part of man just deep and long enough to make the whole movie somehow worthwhile, or at least earthwhile. … Expand

M. Night Shyamalan is our world's newest genius: he's even better than Hitchcock. Signs is an amzing suspense film. Scary - truly scary - and utlimately profound.

One of the most dazzling, stunning films ever made. A haunting and chilling tale. Shamylan truly proves that he is the next Hitchcock.

The suspense and atmosphere alone makes it worth watching. Its extremely chilling and certainly a breath of fresh air from a saturation of in-your-face summer blockbusters. M night is a directorial genius, but his script-writing capability is highly doubtful.

Fantastic suspense! Shyamalan is like the lost son of Hitchcock and Spielberg who spent too much time watching "The Twilight Zone" as a kid, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The most intentionally serious, ridiculous film ever made. All scares are cheap shocks like dog barks out of nowhere. The plot couldn't be dumber if it intended to be. This movie alone just spawned a Scarie Movie 3 probably now in the making. Making fun of Signs, they won't even have to try.

I thought the Sixth Sense was good, Unbreakable was great, and I think Signs is brillant.

turns out this film was about... nothing. any jackass with a mirror and a dark house can scare you for a few scenes, but this movie had nothing to back up the few moments of actual fright. and what is this twist people keep talking about? the thing just ends with a whimper. overwhelmingly disappointing.

What a fun and entertaining movie this was. The movie provides suspense and humor. It leaves a lot upto the imagination which is why its so much fun. Once people stop expecting shyamalan to make the sixth sense 2 they'll realize how much fun this movie is.

First, if you're going to post a bad reveiw, read Roger Ebert's in it's entirety before doing so. I'm no great fan of Ebert's mind you, but this time he hit the nail on the head.

WORST movie I have seen in a long, long, LOOOOONG time. Awful in every single way I can think of. Performances were mediocre, direction was inept, story was stupid, simplistic, illogical, amateurish, pandering, unremarkable, obvious and boring. The best part of the movie was the score and cinematography. They were fine, and by "fine" I don't mean "of superior quality, skill or appearance," or "subtle and precise." I'm talking "fine," as in "satisfactory or acceptable." The fact that this film made over $200 million at the box office stupefies me. I'd give you the long version of how I *really* feel about this eye-glazing, test-pattern aspiring, 106-minute life stealer, but I've already wasted enough of my time.… Expand

Dull & uninspired. I can't believe this is the same guy who wrote the Sixth Sense. I want my $10 back.

Tremendous disappointment. The story was very contrived. You keep waiting for something significant to hapen and it never does.

The characters were developed well, but too many giant holes in the story. Aliens fly across the galaxy to come down on earth naked, with no weapons to kidnap people? Come on!

The film takes a fantastic and exciting premise, an alien invasion, and then decides to tell it to us the most boring way possible, how it unfolds in a small town with a silly family. The two stories the film tries to make compatable, the invasion and Gibson's faithless father, just don't mix! Like oil and water! It doesn't work! It's a mess!

Tight movie.

Started out well, but was all downhill. What a shame, because this movie could of been so much more.

Good movie, but I HATED the ending.

Shyamalan really hits his best note here. Its a film about faith set on the classic hostile alien invasion plot, and it works!

Very good movie. Really freaky at times and really funny at times. Enjoyed it a lot.

This was one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a long time. Shyamalan has a talent for this sort of thing...he's a real master of understatement, suspense and subtle storyline clues. Much like the Sixth Sense, Shyamalan basically reveals everything that's going on in the first 20-30 minutes of the movie - and I guess theoretically it'd be possible to figure it out it if you're really, psychically sharp; or at least mega-versed in the art of foreshadowing. Although, admittedly, the experience is a lot more fun (if not quite as rewarding) just sitting there, not getting it, and letting it take you on the intended ride. It's one of those films that makes you call up little details you brushed off in the first few minutes and realize "Oh, so THAT'S what that was all about..." The cinematography is dark and brooding, to such an extent that it feels like it's constantly setting you up for a "jump scene" (I know I predicted a few that didn't happen.) The musical score throws in its share of red herrings as well, with a lot of manic SCREECH-SCREECH-SCREECH peaks over nothing and a fun little three-note motif repeated throughout the whole score, a great way to unify the major themes. I caught myself singing along, "dit-dit-dit, dit-dit-dit" one more than one occasion... The alien/crop-circle side of the storyline has received enough criticism for being under-explained, having little background, not treating the situation realistically; yeah, okay. There's a reason for that, and it's that extraterrestrial life not the point here, but the conveyance thereof. It does its job - it's freakin' creepy, with Shyamalan's wizardly use of understatement as suspense; an excellent vehicle for the true storyline of the movie: the minister's crisis of faith. (I suspect that the people who complain about walking away unfulfilled are missing this.) Also, plenty of room is allowed for speculation; was the ordeal really happening or all in the mind?, et cetera. Quality movie. Do your brain a favor and go see this instead of Austin Powers. O_o… Expand

After seeing this movie, hours after the film was over I found myself still laughing at the off the wall humor in this movie. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes to have a good time. I would recommend this movie to anyone who does not think they are a film critic, and feel that they need to point out everyone's faults. I noticed that for the most part, this movie lived off of the suspense, but that is no reason to complain about a great movie. It is rare today that a movie can do what Signs did.… Expand

Pros: amazing photography, cool "what if?" plot, good acting by everyone (even the kids), great pacing. Cons: sometimes overly cheesy, plot slightly cliched but still good. You should go see Signs.

Have you ever noticed when an unknown does something for the first time he/she hardly gets any credit? However, when a big name does the simplest slight of hand they are hailed as geniuses. Read: Minority Report/AI, Eyes Wide Shut et al. If an unknown did this movie, it would have hardly made any noise at all. However, it was Night, and I agree he is brilliant, but this movie was a bad sign. I watched it with an open mind; it was funny, I give it that, but everything else and I mean EVERYTHING else has been done before, and better. If you gave this movie a 10, then you would have to give Sixth Sense a 13 and Unbreakable an 11. Since we rate on a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being a Pulp Fiction, then this movie is worth a 5. Night, you have one more chance before you become an also ran. Read: Quentin Tarantino.… Expand

Incredibly pedantic and arrogant film. The only points it gets are for the solid cinematography and ambience. The Christian drivel that Shyamalan hits us over the head with, repeatedly, is nauseating. If I want my philosophy pre-chewed and interpreted for me, I'd watch Pat Robertson.

Great movie. Scary and funny. Phoenix is brilliant.

Proving with "Signs" that he's the best filmmaker working today, Shayamalan gives the audience what is perhaps the Best Picture so far this year (I put it on a flat plateau with "Road To Perdition") Eloquently resolved and unmanipulative "Signs" contains what is, IMO, the best Shayamalan ending yet. Beats out "The Sixth Sense" by a small margin and is eons better than the dismal "Unbreakable." Great, great movie. (For those of you who have noticed my presence as a commenter, please note that I am an optimist. I choose to comment on mainly those movies that I found impressive and was entertained by. This explains the strong number of "10" point reviews I have given.)… Expand

I couldn't get into this film because it was kind of cheesy. I was laughing at the emotional dinner scene and scoffing at pretty much everything the son had to say. And the ending was predictably Shyamalan-ian; he pulls the carpet out of under you but its too late because you don't care anymore.

I found the movie very scary, though it would have been far more effective had the aliens remained unseen (or only partially-seen, as in the pantry scene); the ending was definitely weak. Not up to the standards of Sixth Sense or Unbreakable.

Simply brilliant, best film i have ever seen!

Technically speaking, this film is well made. Camera angles, lighting, etc are all top notch. The story, however, is downright insulting. It feels like a religious/educational film that tries much too hard to drive home a cheesy, sappy moral. Leave the preaching to the preachers, Mr. Shyamalan!

This was a beautiful movie. The frights and jokes were definetly first-rate.

What a waste of time seeing this flop. One of the worst films I've seen.

Incredibly great movie, completely awesome, you gotta watch this one. A little more comedy than needed but still great.

The scariest and most thoughtprovoking in a long time. Shyamalan has now established himself as a truly great director, all he needs for the future is good enough scripts..

For the first half of this movie, I was captivated. The characters grew and had depth, the history of the family, the religious aspect. It was a joy to behold a master director weave his magic. Then it all went horribly wrong. Holes started to appear in the plot, (what, NO weapons at all?) plus... these aliens navigated from across the galaxy, do they really need these signs? The "finale" .... was pathetic, sorry. Not so much because of it's contrite nature, but because are we really meant to believe aliens would invade earth without doing their homework to check for natural hazards .... As a sane and balanced agnostic, I was delighted with the way Gibson challenges his faith. I was less delighted with the "twist" at the end. It's meant to get you thinking... but it simply makes smart people think even more - so yeah, I believe in coincidence. Grrrr.... like the ending to Unbreakable, the last 20 minutes of this movie left me feeling cheated. … Expand

This movie is tight son ya mean.

It's so funny to me that all these people with the exception of Seth, Jin C, and Bethy understood this movie!! It was said before but it needs to be said again, this movie has nothing to do with crop circles or aliens!!! They are an afterthought.

Immense plot holes and one of the most forced endings of all time.

Spooky, funny, and sentimental, sometimes all three in the same scene. The best film I've seen so far this year. To those who complain that it didn't deliver what they thought they were buying a ticket for, I say "Hooray!". It's not very often that a movie this big isn't completely spoiled by the typical marketing campaign that follows the belief that the audience must know the entire story arch before purchasing a ticket. … Expand

SIGNS... its what happens when you take a low budget 'B' sci fi movie and combine it with an intense, psychological thriller... good parts, but the aliens really ruined it...

I have seen some stinkers in my time but Mel Gibson should mail back his salary. The storyline was absolutely preposterous without any redeeming values whatsoever. I left the theater feeling cheated.

I saw all the signs telling me to go see this movie, so I did...Unless I missed something, it has none of the suspense and surprises of "The Sixth Sense" It was kinda like watching a bad episode of The X Files (without Mulder)...maybe I just expected more, but it failed to hold my interest.

Very well done....witty, funny and scary all rolled into one...a movie you didn't want to leave for a bathroom break for fear of missing something.

I loved this movie, although I didn't expect to. It was scary without being gory, thought-provoking without being preachy, and--to me, the sign of a truly wonderful movie--made me put myself in the place of the family and ask myself how I would respond to such a threat.

This movie was the perfect blend of suspense, fear, and a good message. the ending is far-fetched but it works. great movie!

I walked out of this movie angry... How dare they steal my money and my time and deliver such cinematic tripe? This is the worst movie I've seen in quite some time... And I see a lot of movies. Predictable and insipid, with probably the worst "surpise ending" ever. I'd like to give a certain sign to the director, and it'll only take one finger.

Very weak.

Let me say this now. there is no TWIST in this movie. if you're hellbent on trying to derive one, you're going to have a distracted and frustrating experience. instead, shyamalan perfectly uses the very structure and form of commercial screenwriting (and traditional story telling) to express an idea about the structure of life itself. very very well and cleanly executed. the movie is simplified and stylized and has very much in common with fables. but the emotions are real and resonant. performances are perfect from an outstanding ensemble. a truly phenomenal cast. and cinematically, the movie is a model of visual story telling. just check out the first few minutes of the film to discern what (and how much!) a skillful film maker can express without using a word of dialogue. economy of expression is indeed a virtue and shyamalan is a master. surprisingly and genuinely funny as well. shyamalan's sense of timing is right on and everyone plays the jokes pitch perfect. i think i score it as lowly as i do simply because i am a type 2 person and can't abide the theme itself. :) … Expand

It was refreshing to see a classic tale of an alien invasion without classic scenes of large battelships invading Earth. I had a few problems with the movie. For example, how could such a cunning foe, able to shut down all of the radio and television broadcasts on the planet, be turned back in a day, with water no less? I guess we're not supposed to ask these kinds of questions in a movie about faith. Overall a very scary and humorous movie. … Expand

This movie was the best I've seen this year. It was more scary than I thought it would be!

I agree that Night only begins to scratch the surface re: faith and "divine structure," but it still provides a great springboard for after-movie thought. Well-done all around, especially after an awkward beginning that didn't raise my hopes. The scene on the couch between Gibson and Phoenix is exceptionally well written and played.

To me scaryiest movie i have ever seen beats the hell out of ID4 and Alien Trilogy. i have trouble sleeping at night now. we had a crop circle last summer near my city in alberta and this really opens my eyes if it ever really did happen i say bring foos will give em somthin a little more them water but it is an awsome movie funny scary and makes u think. M Night has done it again.

Amazing movie. Wonderful piece of cinema. Just as creepy as The Sixth Sense.

I enjoyed the movie but the storyline is simply preposterous. It is basically War Of The Worlds meets Independence Day reincarnated without any action or explanation. Instead it features only on Mel Gibson's family and ignores the reality that aliens traveled from galaxies light years away without any weapons of mass destruction. It is ludicrous to see good old Mel attempt to defeat them by hiding and boarding up his windows at a farm in the middle of nowhere. As for the rest of mankind Signs does not acknowledge that we even exist. Case in point is when Mel finally secures proof of alien existance; he does not even bother reporting it to the authorities. There are no scientists, nor government/ army involvement. The message is that God does everything with a purpose, and if you believe, you will be saved. The storyline has more holes than swiss cheese. Yet despite this, the acting is first rate, especially the children, and the suspense is thick as it is done in the best of Hitchcockian style. With a little more thought and creativity this could have been so much better.… Expand

How very, very Hitchcock. There's not a wasted shot in this film, not a wasted moment. Marvelously done---spare, even---and elegant, most exceptionally elegant. As the only down: it took me two viewings to begin to sufficiently comprehend it to the point of appreciation; the same, though, is needed for me and Hitchcock. This provides hope for me that there are still those who see fit to put together films that refuse to pander to the audience, and demand instead to be understood. … Expand

The acting was good and technically, Shyamalan did an excellent job. When I left the theater, though, I couldn't tell you what the film was supposed to be about. I could do that with "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable." Here, I wasn't so sure.

Signs was exactly what we needed this summer. A fun, entertaining film that makes you think. It was an enjoyable theatre-going experience with a lot of scares as well as humor. Mel Gibson has never been better and the rest of the cast was fantastic, especially the kids. Shyamalan is a natural at working with kids. I had no idea what this film was about going in, but I left extremely satisfied as well as feeling good about life. It's nice to watch a film about something that matters and also be entertained by it. Shyamalan is a definite talent and I can't wait to see what he brings us next. Blanco can kiss my ass!!!… Expand

An excellent movie. True, the ending was not a twist like other movies that he has done, but it made everything involved in the ending make sense. I truly loved this movie. It was funny and smart and suspenseful. Mr. Phoenix and Mr. Gibson work very well together. Unlike "Unbreakable" or "The Sixth Sense" I would want to see this one again because knowing the ending is not critical to this movie. I just thought it was a brilliantly directed film, brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. It is like no movie I have ever seen.… Expand

The problem with this movie is that you are lured into the theater thinking that this will be a science fiction thriller with mankind battling aliens for control of Earth. Then the reality sets in that the aliens are only a very small part of the story as the real theme is faith lost and then rediscovered by an average family. What is Mel Gibson doing on a farm anyway as he was suppposed to be a minister. What is he doing with a corn field? The entire storyline is convoluted.… Expand

What the heck? This movie had a 61 before. Now a 60?! Big mistake. This is the most under-rated movie. I thought it was fabulous.

It was a good triller it doesn't deserve 0s it was good. The director was awesome. This movie ROCKED.

This movie failed at every level (beyond photography) for me. It might make a halfway decent outerlimits episode??? Nah!

Obviously, we have some critics falling for the hype. Shyamalan a ding dong throws in his patented "twist" or "reveleation" and it just gets more predictable and weak with each movie. "Three small towns in the Middle East" what was that crap? This movie like Shyamalan's acting is trying so hard to be something that it's not -- good. He completely undermines himself in the last 20 minutes of the film. I can't believe people aren't offended by the stupidity of the resolution of this film. Memo to Directors that try to act: Don't speak, don't try to save the studio money by hiring yourself. Even though he borrows a ton from Hitchcock, he doesn't learn one lesson: put yourself in the background, don't pull a Tarantino in Pulp Fiction. It's completely distracting. So why a five? Well, he can direct kids and create tension. Joaquin is back to playing a real person instead of a blown up, over the top, scene chewing emperor, Mel holds the film together throughout the ponerous beginnning. The score is a solid bernard herman rip off and there are some fun scary moments. Just don't tell me this is a complete picture and you weren't laughing to yourself at the end.… Expand

Finally a movie that actually scared me!!! Only for that it deserves my 10 points rating. And then there is so much more. The wicked humor, the good acting, the even better direction and one of the most clever written histories in years. Enjoyed immensely.

Pitiful.

The good points are that it is superbly acted and directed with great suspense. What destroys this movie is that it's basically a reincarnation of War of the Worlds devoid of how and why the aliens are here. Instead it features only on Mel Gibson's family and his struggle to restore his faith in God. Signs could have been so much better with a more interesting storyline. Too many holes in the script to suit my taste.… Expand

Here's the deal, the bulid-up was so exciting that it completely undermined the suprise or twist. Not to say that the twist wasn't good, just not what the build-up promised.

Definitely the best movie of the summer, has a bit of everything. Quality movie, not for the conservative types though.

What can i say? Another loser film by m. night. this film had all the right ingredients to make one of the worst films of the year! it seems as if m. night had a great idea to begin with however he did not have the creativity to give it the true ending that it deserved. this film was a total waste of time.

Gibson's performance was very subtle and believable, the movie was visually beautiful, and I was impressed with Mr. Shyalaman's talent as a writer and director, but there's a but here..... There's too much attention paid to his "surprise" endings. As a result, I found myself not nearly as tense as I should have been because I didn't believe what the movie was leading up to. I was too busy trying to outsmart the film. Too busy trying to anticipate the highly touted "surprise ending." Unlike the "Sixth Sense," the ending was a little weak. This wasn't a gasp ending....just a rather unconvincing, "Oh really?" … Expand

I'd give it about a 6 1/2. The first two thirds of the movie set you up for a very important and revolutionary denoument, but at that point I started wondering when and how things would start connecting. Eventually they did. Sort of. The ending should have either tied the whole story together, or surprised us with a point that puts the story in a new light, and this ending did neither. What could have been a great combination of War of the Worlds and The Birds ended up as a shallow look at both spirituality and the implications of extra-terrestrial life. Not that the film didn't have its very strong points. The humor was smart and well-timed, the tension was strongly held, and the cinematography was often breath-taking. Plus the actors did a fine job with what they were given, and Shyamalan seems to have a knack for working with children. But like I said earlier, all this cannot make up for the let down I felt as I walked out of the theater wishing that something had been truly resolved. … Expand

When I saw the ads for this movie, I thought it was the stupidest idea I has ever heard of. Got dragged to the movie. All I can say is very well done. Plot was good, acting was good, and was very suspenseful (this from a guy who doesn't get that way easily). This movie could have been screwed up in so many ways. I mean, c'mon, War of the Worlds? But it was entertaining the whole way through and never dragged. Unless you are that guy that hates movies other people like, you will like this movie. … Expand

The Sixth Sense's "twist" was spectacular. And that little "twist" made the movie one of the best of the year! Now Unbreakable was just downright goofy. Well made but poorly written. "I believe in comic book hee-roes". What kind of crap dialogue is that??? Now comes M. Night Shyamalan's 3rd major release (4th movie) and I got mixed feelings. When the movie started I was swept away to a little ordinary farm where some strange things start happening. The whole "I cant cuss I'm a preacher" thing was good. Acting was great. Shyamalan incorporated the troubled past thing SO WELL. SO VERY WELL! But the biggest plus of them all was that this movie was actually terrifying. More so than Jason X, Halloween Ressurection, Ghost Ship, and fear dot com put together! This first reel was THE REEL DEAL (hahaha)! Screw Unbreakable this WAS the follow-up to The Sixth Sense that everyone was expecting! It was kind of like The War of The Worlds w/ corn. Now this was the first reel ONLY. I have but bitter disgust for the 2nd! MR. SHYAMALAN i have respect for you BUT USE YOUR HEAD! Dont use a "twist" when you dont need one! And then on top of that you have to use all these CRAP SPECIAL EFFECTS! Grrrr....! I think USA Today put it in the best terms- "The Sixth Sense wasnt all THAT good and Unbreakable wasnt all THAT bad and Signs, well, its in the middle" That statement says it all! It really does!!!!!!… Expand

It sucked mightily.

[***Potential Spoilers***] Typical - let's take a husband who has lost his wife & looses his faith. What is going to bring him back? let's try aliens! ha ha. To top it off the screenwrite is so shallow. There are only two types of people - you either believe that there is a reason for everyhing and that reason is God or you don't believe in God at all. What about the belief that God gave us free choice - the greatest gift of all. With free choice, we choose our actions - Mel's wife chose to go for a walk, the director in a cameo, decided to drive when he was too tired. He hit her. He killed her. Did God cause that? Did God give the kid asthma so that he could survive an alien attack! Please. Think of it this way - you are the mom or dad of a child. You want that child to become everything he can be. You want him to love fully, live passionatly, make good choices. Are you going to make all the choices for him? Do you want to force him to love you? Most loving parents would say NO - I want him to love me freely, do the things/job he wants to do. So why would God cause us to do things, cause things to happen. He/She is much bigger than that. He is LOVE and is so complex - maybe he created the world and then stepped back and said - all I can do is love you. Just like a parent does when a child is born - all I can ultimately do is LOVE you. Come on "Mr. New Spielberg", lifes more complex than this movie. … Expand

There is more to Signs than a mere homonymic clarification that it is not Science but Signs, that you intended to take your date out to. So by the time you buy pop-corns and settle down adjusting your reclining seats, the haunting opening score by James Newton Howard already pulls you into the movie. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is an ex-reverend at the county Church and a father of two. Six months after his wife?s death involving a car accident, he is still recuperating from her loss and his shattered faith in God, moral beliefs and to some extent, life. His younger brother ? a former baseball record-setter ? Merrill Hess (Joaquin Phoenix) helps him out at their corn farm where they all live together in a picture perfect milieu ? Father, kids, brother and Isabella, the Alsatian bitch. All?s well, until one fine morning they find circular flattened out appearances on their crops ? crop circles. Suspecting it to be the work of some neighborhood prankster, they call the cop who too dismisses it without second thoughts. Things take on a dramatic turn, in the next few minutes, when there is a skip-a-beat silhouetted sighting of their ?prankster? against the dripping blue-black sky which Shyamalan quintessentially depicts, exploiting the intrinsic fear of unknown. Soon the news of similar crop-circle formations starts pouring in from various parts of the globe linked with sightings of alien crafts whizzing around. It becomes clear by then who the ?prankster? is; and who, is the victim to be. The first half of the movie has an unperceivable sluggish movement credited primarily to Shyamalan?s subtle emotional undertones and screen climax so beautifully fabricated that even the innocuous everyday objects, characters and habits acquire a latent uncanny element that makes you apprehensive about every shot ? daughter Bo?s (Abigail Breslin) skepticism of drinking contaminated water, son Morgan?s (Rory Culkin) asthma, the insidious baby-monitor, Isabella?s incessant barking and the numbing resonance of wind-chimes. Weaved with yarns of sci-fi mystery and family morality drama dabbled in colors of witty dry humor, the story captivates you throughout. Do not expect it to be breathtakingly eerie, dark and chilling thriller. Not at all a hit-in-your-face on-the-edge stuff, but rather a mellow intoxicating screenplay. Shyamalan makes you associate with the Hess family and their serene cocooned lifestyle on the farm, relate to the grief of his wife?s death (opening shot), empathize with the two bubbly kids and adore their Alsatian (though not for long). Strangely enough, Shyamalan tends to overplay the clue cards. Bo?s psychosis of impure water is framed several times, so are the flashes of his wife?s accident; all important aspects of the climax clamorously portrayed over and again ? I would rather have preferred leaving enough room for the audience, to think and piece the jigsaw themselves later on. So far so good. After the refill of coke, the plot seems confounded between what it aims to accomplish and where it is headed, taxing your credibility cells at the same time. It is neither a clear cut human drama nor a pure sci-fi, it falls miserably somewhere between the two. But again, it all depends on how you choose to perceive the movie. Choose to flow with the tragic sentimental undercurrents and you?ll like it. Choose to duck under the seat against alien invasion and you?ll like it. Choose to be thrilled by its Hitchcockian movement and you?ll like it ? but don?t expect all these stimulants to work together. ?Signs? suffers from identity crisis. Furthermore, don?t try to dissect the plot logically. Only absorb as much as is shown and inferred without much strain. Stay on this periphery and you?ll enjoy every bit of it, steer too close and you are bound to get frustrated. Take for example the global alien invasion threat, which is tackled without any major police or military action - or perhaps Shyamalan wanted us to remain confined to our microcosm, in which case too Hess could have at least got himself a weapon and called the cops anticipating the attack. Second, this alien can jump up ten ft. high terrace in a blink and he?s weak enough to be confined to a cellar (wonder how it?s able to finally break in towards the end). And what does Dr. Reddy (Shyamalan) do after locking this 8 ft. something baby in a pantry? Go out camping near a lake. No cops, no follow-up, no nothing ? fishing perhaps? Third, the alien appears to be some kind of intergalactic ?hit-me? dummy. Merrill thrashed it several times with his baseball bat, taking his leisure time gaping wide-mouthed between swings and all it did was moan and gibber some alien-speak. Logical anomalies aside, the movie is well crafted and delivers your money?s worth. Shyamalan is a genius at toying with human psychology. When the alien was trying to break in, banging the doors, jostling and thumping around, Hess tries to calm-down the kids by narrating the anecdotic accounts of their births ? how beautiful they looked, what they did, what people spoke of them etc. Shyamalan captures the cold contrast ? fear and relief, irreverence and faith, silence and upheaval ? and in the process draws the audience too to the momentary comfort, who is therefore all the more associated with the impending danger. The characters are distinctly attributed and well individuated. Hess being an ex-clergyman is soft-spoken, composed, practical and has a philosophical outlook to life. Oft times confused by trivial dilemmas, he?s the one who succumbs to others? demands. Merrill, who seems more like Hess?s son than brother, is a doer, not much of the thinking types and always the center of throwaway humor. Again, Shyamalan falters in explicitly conveying us the character?s gravity by unfulfilling dialogs; in one of these instances Merrill adds after the dialog ?I?m serious!? ? of course we know he?s serious, the shot demands him to be so; characters can take exception from their expected demeanor. The kids are, well, like kids ? lively, chirpy and inquisitive ? with shades of disquieting maturity at times. Taking into account my ineligibility to assess performances critically, I still believe the cast delivered remarkably well ?including Shyamalan! The abrupt ending of the movie has, indeed, much of ?Signs? ? signs of regained faith, of triumph over aliens and of sunny days ahead. How many signs you understood dictates your movie experience. And that?s pretty much of what you are left wondering leaving the theatre . . . signs of Shyamalan?s next film. … Expand

This was a great movie. It had everything Shymalan did again!! The plot was hard to understand at times but the ending kinda of brought it together. It also takes some talent to write, produce, and direct. It was definetly freaky and the ending did make sense. Was not predictable but not one of those movies where you wonder what will happen next.

By far, one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. The only slightly redeeming quality is the cinematography--and that's a stretch. Laughably bad.

Somebody owes me a refund!This movie was offensive at every level. What a waste of money (the moviemakers too) and a complete INSULT to every thinking human being. Every digit of mine is pointing down! Horrible!

I love scary movies, and this one definitely gave me a few jolts, but this is more than a scary movie. This movie gives you something to think about and ponder after the credits roll. I saw it twice, and I still jumped, and it still moved me. I highly recommend this film.