Signs

M. Night Shyamalan

BY Chris GramlichPublished Feb 1, 2003

Despite being director/writers M. Night Shyamalan's (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) most commercially successful endeavour, Signs is unquestionably his weakest movie. The story of ex-preacher Graham Hess's (Mel Gibson) search for faith during the days leading up to an alien invasion isn't necessarily the problem, although it leads to the problems. It features good performances from Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and its two child actors, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. Its downfall comes from its ending, which tries to tie up its numerous loose ends a little too neatly, and not nearly as smartly as in Shyamalan's previous fare; numerous gaping plot holes that defy simple logic hold it back as well. Still, Shyamalan is almost as clever as he thinks he is, and no one gets more suspense with so little. The DVD features six-part documentaries revealing, if nothing else, that Night isn't lacking in confidence, and gives brief insights into his creative process and the making of the movie. However, with the exception of the "Alien in the Attic and the Third Story" scene, the deleted scenes are forgettable and Night's first alien film is remarkable only for the fact that he had the courage to include it. Extras: Deleted scenes, Night's first alien film, storyboards with multi-angle features, six-part documentary.

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