August 1, 2002
Horror tempered with humor
(CNN) -- M. Night Shyamalan still has tricks up his sleeve as he continues his artistic love affair with the supernatural, the paranormal, and the just plain inexplicable with his latest film, "Signs."
In 1999, "The Sixth Sense" was a major blockbuster, pulling in $294 million and making "I see dead people" a national catch phrase. That was followed by the less successful (though it did make $95 million) "Unbreakable" in 2000. Both films starred Bruce Willis. Now Shyamalan has a new muse, Mel Gibson, and the result is a thrilling ride that will make you both scream with fear and shriek with laughter.
Gibson plays Graham Hess, a Pennsylvania farmer and former Episcopalian minister who has left his flock -- and his faith -- after the accidental death of his wife, which has left him to raise their two young children alone. Joaquin Phoenix plays his brother Merrill, a man fighting his own demons over his failed pro baseball career. Merrill, in a show of brotherly support, is now living with Graham and his children, son Morgan (Rory Culkin) and daughter Bo (Abigail Breslin). This broken family of four is living an isolated life on their farm outside Philadelphia (Shyamalan's hometown) when strange happenings shatter their fragile world.
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In the middle of the night, Graham's daughter wakes him with the news that "there's a monster outside my room -- can I have a glass of water?" Soon Graham and Merrill are chasing someone, or something, around the outside of the farmhouse. Then Morgan calls them into the corn fields, where he has made a frightening discovery. With dogs howling in the background, the family finds huge patterns have been pressed into their fully grown corn fields.
When the local sheriff, Officer Caroline Paski (Tony Award winner Cherry Jones), arrives, she informs them that these patterns could be made by a couple of men with some boards and ropes, and the family should just try to return to their normal lives. Of course, that's not going to happen.
Cataclysm made claustrophobic
It soon becomes apparent that whatever is happening to them is also happening all over the world. Through fleeting, flickering television reports, the family discovers that these patterns are being found across the globe, and reports of strange light formations are beginning to pour in from major cities everywhere. It's clear the world is being invaded. But by whom? Or what? And why?
If you're thinking "War of the Worlds," you're not far off. But this time the "war" is seen from the perspective of just one small family, in one isolated area. Shyamalan has taken a worldwide cataclysmic event and made it claustrophobic -- almost suffocating -- as this family fights for their lives against overpowering alien forces. He's also exploring faith in our everyday lives, and questioning whether life is a series of accidents or a predestined plan.
The beauty of Shyamalan's script is that nothing is revealed all at once. You find out about the characters -- their pasts, their motivations -- slowly, in bits and pieces, just as you do in real life. In addition, his use of dry humor is brilliant; just when the tension becomes unbearable, Shyamalan slips in a moment of levity that allows you to catch your breath, while drawing you deeper into the humanity of his characters. One marvelous scene with Gibson and the kids reading a book about aliens is absolutely priceless.
The acting across the board is excellent. Gibson has actually set aside some of his most common acting tricks and Phoenix seems to challenge him at every turn. Also, with outstanding performances from Culkin and Breslin, Shyamalan has once again proven he's one of the best child directors in the business.
It's also worth noting that production began on this film on September 13th, 2001, just two days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This undoubtedly created a closeness on the isolated set that otherwise might not have been so intense. The plot of a horrific occurrence from out of the blue couldn't have helped but strike a deep emotional cord among the cast and crew.
This film isn't perfect. It will undoubtedly draw cheap comparisons to "Panic Room" (2001), and one scene with a military recruiting officer is ridiculous, but overall, "Signs" is a rootin' tootin' sci-fi thriller that will give you the best bang for your buck this summer movie season.
"Signs" opened nationwide on Friday, August 2 and is rated PG-13 with a running time of 120 minutes.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/01/ca.s02.review.signs/index.html