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Signs |
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Rating
- 5 of 5 |
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By: Ozzymadeo
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Its
been a while since any new film maker has
made a large impact with his first movie and
then follow it up with great movies on a consistent
basis. Quentin Tarantino is a great director
but I'd quite frankly like to see more than
3 movies in 10 years. I look forward to "Kill
Bill" but good god, "GIRL 6"?
Anyway, a high impact director who has followed
up with quality projects is most certainly
M. Night Shyamalan.
Most people instantly think of "The Sixth
Sense". It was a damn good movie but
I tend to think of the follow up, "Unbreakable"
to be the better movie. In my opinion, "Unbreakable"
DOES have an ending, despite what you may
read elsewhere on this site. |
So flash forward to August 2002. What we have is
Shyamalan's fifth film (though his third movie to
get any true attention) in "Signs". The
story centers around Mel Gibson's character, Graham
Hess, a former reverend who lost his faith when
his wife died. He lives with his family on a farm
and one day, they awake to find crop circles amongst
their corn. At first, they don't think too much
of it. At least until, crop circles start popping
up in mass numbers across the world. And then, the
aliens arrive.
I don't want to get too much further into the details
of this movie since I'd rather not spoil anything
for you. And its a hard thing to do considering
the fact that every detail presented is relevant
to the plot. Everything comes together at the end
in a nice, tight package. You don't have to pay
extreme attention to the details, but the movie
is enthralling, bringing you so far in, that you
have no choice but to pay attention.
One of the best descriptions I heard for "Signs"
was that it was "Independence Day" as
told through the point of view of a regular family.
The concept of that statement is true in the fact
that the aliens and crop circles themselves take
a back seat to the Hess family and how they deal
with it. Mel Gibson as always is spectacular in
the lead role and Joaquin Phoenix showcases some
impressive range playing Mel's younger brother.
The interaction between Phoenix and Gibson is one
of many highlights, especially when they go running
in the cornfield at night. Abigail Breslin and Rory
Culkin do commendable jobs as the Hess children,
proving once again that the most talented of the
Culkin children don't bear the name of Macaulay.
Even Shyamalan plays a vital part and thankfully,
he doesn't overdo it.
The concept of aliens may seem hokey at first but
"The Sixth Sense" dealt with ghosts and
"Unbreakable"
dealt with superheroes. And as with those two movies,
there is an underlying theme in "Signs".
Faith. This movie is about Graham Hess' faith as
much as it is about the crop circles and aliens.
And you see his faith and the crop circle situation
tie together perfectly at the end.
Other than just praising the quality of this movie,
there's not a whole lot I can do to review. "Signs"
shouldn't be read about. It should be experienced.
The sooner the better because word of mouth spreads
quickly, and even though the trademark "twist
ending" isn't quite the twist that "The
Sixth Sense" had, it will be what people are
going to be talking about.
Run hard, run long, run now. Go see "Signs"
and if you've got a girlfriend who freaks out easily,
"Signs" will definitely make her grab
your arm for comfort.
Swing away my friends. Swing away. |
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