My Movie Review on Signs (2002)
Yo, what's up, peoples?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 7th installment of my "Spook Spectacular" series, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Signs".
Here's the rundown of it:
Graham Hess is a former Episcopal priest and widowed father of two children, Morgan and Bo. He lives on a farm with his younger brother, Merrill, who is a former baseball player.
However, the family has begun noticing some awfully strange crop circles in their cornfield, and the pictures appear to represent something far from worldly. After noticing numerous reports of crop circles in cornfields around the world, the Hess family realizes that their cornfield was marked to be a mapping point created by aliens.
What could the aliens want that would prompt them to come to Earth? Are they hostile? Or friendly?
What's more, will the Hess family make it through these frightening times?
I'm not gonna lie, I've been wanting to do an analysis of this movie for as long as I can remember. It's a film that I've fondly grown up with, and it's quite literally one of the best thrillers I've ever watched.
For instance, the direction and story by M. Night Shyamalan were amazing!
When it came to making an all-out thriller, Shyamalan hardly mess around. He did a brilliant job at making the film vastly unpredictable, suspenseful, and surprising at every turn. In addition to that, there were snippets of genuine wit that caught me when I least expected it and made me laugh, which I can tell was done to help lessen the tension a bit and the give the tone a balance. The film wasn't without heart and emotion either, which particularly came in the form of the bond between the Hess family. The flashback sequences were neatly executed, if I may add.
The film had significant themes too, the ones about faith and family catching my attention the most. Every step of the way, I took note of Graham's crisis regarding faith, the circumstances of what made him stop worshipping God and being a priest, and what sort of guy he became after his wife's death. To me, the film gave an accurate depiction of when a Christian is unexpectedly put into trying times, which would cause their faith to be tested and make them question whether they should believe in God or not. Ultimately, when Graham chose to stop believing for a time, he became a man who hardly saw much significance in life. The scene where Graham and Merrill talk about whether miracles exist and a loving Lord is real or if people are just plain lucky and there is no God was a masterful representation of the Christian vs. Atheist conflict.
I'm not sure how many people besides me think this, but the aliens that were featured in the film looked extremely realistic. Working under a budget of 72 million dollars, it was amazing how Shyamalan and the effects team was able to make it seem like there really were aliens featured in the film.
The performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were likewise incredible.
Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix were literally perfect for the parts of Graham and Merrill Hess. Not only do they have the right similarities to play the characters as brothers, but they portrayed their characters in a way that was emotionally human. Plus, Graham, Merrill, Morgan, and Bo all had dynamic development.
Finally, the music by James Newton Howard was bone-chillingly mesmerizing. From the very start of this movie, I was instantly entranced by the music that Howard made for this movie. His melodies contained a sense of spookiness that was powerful enough to make a person's spine tingle, and there was even a mighty emotionality that perfectly captured the feelings of the characters, the tone of the story, and the scenes featured.
In conclusion, "Signs" is a gem of a film that's wonderful to watch, and I'm proud to have grown up with it through the years. And, while I haven't seen any of Shyamalan's other works before or after this movie, I can tell that he was quite committed and passionate towards this project.
So, I rate "Signs" five out of five stars.
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