Signs

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

There's already a thread about the movie down the board, but it looks to be non-spoiler, so...my thoughts?

 

Frickin' great.

 

That is balls-to-the-wall filmmaking right there. Signs isn't an alien invasion thriller--it's a suspense comedy, a vaguely B-movie homage to stuff like Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, The Day The Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds, all the classics from the 50's with a load of surprises along the way--and not cheap "Oh my god, he's really DEAD and a COMIC BOOK CHARACTER!" type surprises. First off--who in the hell really, honestly expected a straight-up, face-value film out of Shyamalan? Nobody. That's a smart thing to do on your third film when you're...the big surprise here is that, holy shit, there isn't a surprise--it's just ALIENS. No guys in hazard suits, no government conspiracy, no hallucinations, no dreams...straight-up and true, aliens. Great paranoia, great jumping right in...this thing had momentum like a freight train.

 

Honestly, I think this is one of the best edited films I've seen in a long time--priceless cuts for laughter, absolutely AWESOME angles in the final confrontation scenes--I feel like M. Night was channeling early Sam Raimi on some of those--and a lot of visual pathos to boot. Really, really well-lensed film. Actual editing is impeccable too--I don't think there's a wasted second of reel here in terms of vacant space.

 

Maybe it stands out because it's a film made with conviction and wit all at the same time; obviously there are some huge laughs to this, and there's a cheesy 1950's sci-fi thriller mood throughout the otherwise entirely serious proceedings. When you temper the wit with the family relationships therein, and some shockingly blunt and brutal ideas (like the son blaming the father deeply and potently for the death of the mother, a man of the cloth totally losing faith and becoming more atheistic than the everyday atheist), you get a damn fine film. I'll admit that there's some cheese here, and the whole "everything is in motion, everything has a purpose" idea is a biiit optimistic for a real world.

 

But: it's a refreshing idea, it's satisfying, and comes forth powerfully in a film made with a lot of conviction. Signs isn't a masterpiece, but it's great, wicked, paranoid fun, and most importantly: intelligent and earnest too.

 

Methinks I'm fairly alone in my assessment of this film...your thoughts?

[Guest kane3212321]

I really enjoyed this movie alot. It borrows alot from the 1950's alien paranoia movies. I thought water being the weakness was kinda the same sorta thing as in War of the Worlds.

 

The birthday party scene has to be one of the most shocking things I have seen and the whole movie was quite suspenseful. I've heard a lot of negativity about the ending, but I thought it was quite good everything coming together and that the "signs" were there for the family to follow.

 

Once again an excellent movie really worth seeing

[Guest C.H.U.D.]

Wow, I really disliked it. But hey, diversity is the spice of life. Instead of writing out what I thought again, I'll just cut and paste my comments from the other Signs thread:

 

 

I saw it today, and MAN, what a HUGE disappointment. Seriously, this is by far his worst film in my book. The film looked and sounded good, and the actors did a good job, but that was about it.

 

 

 

 

SPOILERS

 

 

 

This whole movie was about building suspense, but there was no payoff. Nothing happened. Sure, they threw in the token alien at the end, but big deal. Also, the dialogue got really tedious after a while, and all the religious subtlies got tiresome.

 

Sorry, I wanted to see a suspense filled, alien invasion movie, not a film about the director's religious theory.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Thumbs in the middle leaning down for me. I'm biased in the fact that I despised his first two movies, with their lame twists I guessed an hour or so into each of them. This was pleasant in the respect that there was no dumb plot twist, but Macauly Jr. KILLS me. The weird kid seems to be a prevalent feature in Shamylan's work. Something I could do without. Water as a weakness is incredibly lame, considering a creature with the intelligence to master intergalactic travel wouldn't come to a place where 3/4 of it is covered in the substance that leads to their very undoing. The aliens were pretty cool though, and the acting was good. A "renter" in my book.

[Guest Angle-plex]

It was great. That is, until the last 15 minutes of the movie. Lots of suspense though.

[Guest Intimacy Goblin]

I saw it on Friday, and I wasn't too impressed. I mean, it was creepy when it was creepy (the best minutes in the film lasted from exploring the doc's pantry to the end of the basement hiding). But other than that it was cheesy, border line bad. Anyone other than Mel Gibson could've played that role, and you didn't even need the former priest story line.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Anyone other than Mel Gibson could've played that role, and you didn't even need the former priest story line.

I'll disagree on that point there. The movie's about aliens...but it's not *really* about aliens. Though I'm not going to say that Shyamalan is a master of thematic subtlety, I will say that he has a purpose with this film beyond conventional emotional reactions. That's to show a faithless man going through a transformation of some form or another, and coming believe again.

 

Not saying you have to think it's well done, because it could have used a little more subtlety, but that's definitely one of the crucial points on which the film is based.

[Guest Intimacy Goblin]

Anyone other than Mel Gibson could've played that role, and you didn't even need the former priest story line.

I will say that he has a purpose with this film beyond conventional emotional reactions. That's to show a faithless man going through a transformation of some form or another, and coming believe again.

 

If you want to show a faithless man, than just show a guy who stopped going to church, but okay, you get extra points for a faithless priest. It still wasn't that good.

[Guest Strike Force!]

Wow, I really disliked it. But hey, diversity is the spice of life. Instead of writing out what I thought again, I'll just cut and paste my comments from the other Signs thread:

 

 

I saw it today, and MAN, what a HUGE disappointment. Seriously, this is by far his worst film in my book. The film looked and sounded good, and the actors did a good job, but that was about it.

 

 

 

 

SPOILERS

 

 

 

This whole movie was about building suspense, but there was no payoff. Nothing happened. Sure, they threw in the token alien at the end, but big deal. Also, the dialogue got really tedious after a while, and all the religious subtlies got tiresome.

 

Sorry, I wanted to see a suspense filled, alien invasion movie, not a film about the director's religious theory.

That's the problem. Audiences nowadays are so jaded that if there is no twist, it's a disappointment.

[Guest Strike Force!]

Anyone other than Mel Gibson could've played that role, and you didn't even need the former priest story line.

I will say that he has a purpose with this film beyond conventional emotional reactions. That's to show a faithless man going through a transformation of some form or another, and coming believe again.

 

If you want to show a faithless man, than just show a guy who stopped going to church, but okay, you get extra points for a faithless priest. It still wasn't that good.

Wouldn't have worked this way. The man being a some sort of clergy is essential because the aura of fear and paranoia is put in motion by people coming to him and telling him how scared they are (the girl in the drugstore, his brother). They wouldn't go and tell some guy who just stopped going to church how scared they are. It just wouldn't work.

[Guest chirs3]

The ending was a bit of a letdown, but it's not fair to just assume there'll be a big shocker because his last two films had them.

 

It was scary as all hell, but there are a few glaring holes.

[Guest Lord of The Curry]

I really liked it.

 

SPOILERS AHEAD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ending scene involving the alien and the reflection in the t.v has been permanently burned into my mind. I honestly can't remember being that scared from a single frame of a movie. I also enjoyed Joaquin Pheonix beating the living piss out of the alien with that baseball bat.

[Guest C.H.U.D.]

That's the problem. Audiences nowadays are so jaded that if there is no twist, it's a disappointment.

I didn't want a "twist" ending, I just wanted something to happen. The whole movie was a big build up, a very suspense filled build up, but then nothing happened. Watching people spend an alien invasion in their dark basement isn't my idea of an exciting conclusion. They could have at least had the family fighting off the aliens at their home, kind of like Night of the Living Dead, but noooo.. they have to hide in the basement and listen to banging sounds.

 

Yawn.

[Guest Strike Force!]

That's the problem. Audiences nowadays are so jaded that if there is no twist, it's a disappointment.

I didn't want a "twist" ending, I just wanted something to happen. The whole movie was a big build up, a very suspense filled build up, but then nothing happened. Watching people spend an alien invasion in their dark basement isn't my idea of an exciting conclusion. They could have at least had the family fighting off the aliens at their home, kind of like Night of the Living Dead, but noooo.. they have to hide in the basement and listen to banging sounds.

 

Yawn.

We're on two totally different ends of the movie-taste scale, C.H.U.D.

[Guest danielisthor]

Saw and liked it. Thought all aspects of the acting were great with what i perceive as only one hole in the story which i will elaborate after a spoiler warning. Everything tied in well, especially at the end when "everything happens" for a reason like the boys asthma and the girls drinking "disorder".

 

 

 

 

Spoiler Alert

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you call the police because you have a crop circle and you call the police because you see "someone" on your roof and running around your yard, wouldn't you surely call the police when you chop the fingers off an alien trapped in a pantry.

[Guest Strike Force!]

Saw and liked it. Thought all aspects of the acting were great with what i perceive as only one hole in the story which i will elaborate after a spoiler warning. Everything tied in well, especially at the end when "everything happens" for a reason like the boys asthma and the girls drinking "disorder".

 

 

 

 

Spoiler Alert

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you call the police because you have a crop circle and you call the police because you see "someone" on your roof and running around your yard, wouldn't you surely call the police when you chop the fingers off an alien trapped in a pantry.

Nnnnope. At that point you know the police can do no good.

[Guest Crizag]

Add me to the list of folks who saw and enjoyed this movie...twas far more thought provoking than I had anticipated and the whole religious undertone of redemption and the like was a pleasant suprise since I knew very little about the movie before I saw it. The ending was a little anti-climatic I suppose, but it wasnt terribly dissapointing.

 

As a side note, I really enjoyed Juaquin (sp) Pheonix's performance. He was hilarious and I really would like to see more of him. Can anyone recommend anything he has been in (other than Gladiator..another great over the top performance, IMO)..