Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) a corn farmer in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, wakes up startled one morning. When he hears his young daughter Bo
screaming in the cornfields, he goes running. His brother Merrill (Joaquin
Phoenix), who lives on the farm in an apartment above the barn, also comes
running when he hears the screaming. When the Hess men find Bo and her older
brother Morgan in the cornfield, the kids are staring at a huge, intricate crop
circle pattern that had been created overnight. Graham initially suspects that
it's the work of some local punks playing a prank, but the prime suspects had a
solid alibi. To make matters worse, the Hess family's two German Shepards start
acting oddly aggressive, as if there's a predator on the loose near the farm.
One night Graham and Merrill tangle with an intruder who moves lighting fast, dodging
them by jumping onto the roof of the house. When the sheriff comes over to take
their report the next day, everybody is stunned at the revelation on the news
that there are crop circles showing up all over the world, along with a sighting
of 14 UFOs, all hovering above Mexico City. The Hess family comes to the
unsettling realization that their country, as well as the entire world, is on
the threshold of a new fight for survival--and the invaders this time are from
outer space.
While the story may sound a bit cartoon-ish, the method in which it's handled
makes it anything but. Signs is a marvelous movie that tells the standard SF
alien invasion story from the unique, personal point of view of a fractured
family who are just getting over the death of their wife and mother. Directed
with an assured hand by M. Night Shyamalan, Signs generates some truly scary
moments as the Hess family desperately try to huddle down and weather this
vicious assault by outer worldly beings. The film is so gripping, so riveting,
that it easily makes you forget its faults, particularly a major plot point
which doesn't quite add up at the end. Mel Gibson is superb as Graham, a
minister who lost his faith with the tragic death of his wife. Joaquin Phoenix
is also excellent as Graham's younger brother Merrill; he gives a richly
textured performance that is also very funny.
The DVD is loaded with special features, including deleted scenes, a clip from
"Pictures" a film that Shyamalan made when he was a boy, as well as storyboards
with a multi-angle feature. There's also a superior making of documentary that
explores the making of Signs. While Signs may suffer from a plot hole the size
of a flying saucer, the performances, the well-written script, and the
director's steady hand still make this a mesmerizing movie that can be enjoyed
over and over again.
--SF
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