FBMR - Signs

The first two-thirds of this movie are very, very good, but I found the last third weak. The movie starts off with the discovery of these complex and puzzling crop circles. No one knows who or what has created them, but they are appearing all over the world. M. Night Shyamalan weaves several different themes into the story and gives us enough sudden jolts to keep us in the edge of our seats. But when it is uncovered who or what has made these crop circles, the suspense virtually terminates.

The title, SIGNS, has a multi-levelled meaning. First, it refers to the crop circles as signs of possible extraterrestrial life, but no one really knows what they could mean, if aliens created them or not, or if it is a huge, well-planned hoax. Secondly, it refers to signs from God that appear in everyday life, along with the notion of fate, that everything happens for a reason. Personally, I have mixed feeling about the idea of fate or destiny, but this isn’t a philosophy/theology web site, so I’ll stick to the movie review. It is interesting how much in the movie is interconnected. Keep your eyes open and you’ll be able to pick up on the clues.

Mel Gibson plays a former minister who has left the church for personal reasons and an internal conflict with God. His farm and family are victims of one set of these crop circles. He is convinced that all this is a prank, but when push comes to shove, he does what he can to gather information about what could be causing them and protect his family. Abigail Breslin who plays his daughter is fantastic, a great performance from the relative newcomer. His son played by Rory Culkin is very good as well. And Joaquin Phoenix is always good in whatever he does, and this time is no exception.

I recommend seeing it with a girl you dig, whom you won’t mind holding onto your arm


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SIGNS (2002) *** The first two-thirds of this movie are very, very good, but I found the last third weak. The movie starts off with the discovery of these complex and puzzling crop circles. No one knows who or what has created them, but they are appearing all over the world. M. Night Shyamalan weaves several different themes into the story and gives us enough sudden jolts to keep us in the edge of our seats. But when it is uncovered who or what has made these crop circles, the suspense virtually terminates. The title, SIGNS, has a multi-levelled meaning. First, it refers to the crop circles as signs of possible extraterrestrial life, but no one really knows what they could mean, if aliens created them or not, or if it is a huge, well-planned hoax. Secondly, it refers to signs from God that appear in everyday life, along with the notion of fate, that everything happens for a reason. Personally, I have mixed feeling about the idea of fate or destiny, but this isn’t a philosophy/theology web site, so I’ll stick to the movie review. It is interesting how much in the movie is interconnected. Keep your eyes open and you’ll be able to pick up on the clues. Mel Gibson plays a former minister who has left the church for personal reasons and an internal conflict with God. His farm and family are victims of one set of these crop circles. He is convinced that all this is a prank, but when push comes to shove, he does what he can to gather information about what could be causing them and protect his family. Abigail Breslin who plays his daughter is fantastic, a great performance from the relative newcomer. His son played by Rory Culkin is very good as well. And Joaquin Phoenix is always good in whatever he does, and this time is no exception. I recommend seeing it with a girl you dig, whom you won’t mind holding onto your arm