M. Night Shyamalan broke out with his first film, The Sixth Sense, a movie that may very well prove to be both his best and most popular. There are worse fates that creating a cultural touchstone in film your first time out. He followed this with what some thought of as the disappointing Unbreakable. In that line of thought, I must agree that his movie about comic book superheroes looked anything but super. But most of that can be attributed to the cinematographer. In its defense, part of the point was to have the film look mundane. It was about a person who discovers that he's a superhero. It's only a surprise to him if his life looks plain and ordinary, like everyone else's.
SIGNS cinematography is much better, more in line with Shyamalan's first film, but in all other ways, plot, pacing, characters, it's a weaker film.
Many reviewers have complained about the emotionless nature of M. Night's characters, and he fairs no better here. There are no characters in this film, just caricatures. There is "the brainy kid" who is also "the kid who won't forgive one parent for the other parent's death." Not that the child's a bad actor, not at all, but he's a Culkin. And let's face it, all the little Culkin Clones make you think about beating the crap out of Joe Pesci on Christmas Eve, not their character.
Then there's "the cute kid' who is also "the kinda creepy kid." Unfortunately, Kinda Creepy Kid was already done, and much better, by Haley Joel Osment, in Shyamalan's own The Sixth Sense.
Next, we have Gladiator's ever-creepy Juaquim Phoenix, not as Mel Gibson's son, but as his brother. Now, I'm not saying it's impossible, but it is distracting. I'm sure there's at least 20 years difference in age between Gibson and Phoenix, and on screen it looks more like 30. Brothers? The theater-of-reality is blown in the first scene.
Phoenix's character is an ex-minor league baseball player, for no apparent reason except that it's a convenient plot device when it comes time to beat the bad guy in the last reel. He doesn't play baseball anymore, despite the fact that he holds the minor league record for the longest hit, at 507 feet. With an arm like that, why isn't he playing ball in the big leagues, much less not playing at all? The only reason given is that he also holds the record for the most strike-outs. Sounds like a man who's played in the majors in Cleveland for a decade, called Jim Thome. Someone should have told M. Night that the top 8 hitters in major league baseball all had more than 100 strike-outs each their last two seasons each. And that even back when Babe Ruth was the home run leader, he was also the holder of the record for the most strike-outs. So it just doesn't add up.
And don't forget the town sheriff who's a woman and may be a love interest for the male lead. The only problem with her is that we just had a town sheriff who's a woman and may be a love interest for the male lead last year, in The Mothman Prophecies. And Laura Linney actually had the opportunity to add a little thing called DEPTH to the character. The actress here is just another cardboard cut-out, that ultimately could've been cut completely from the film without anyone noticing.
But the award for cardboard cut-out character and winner of the prestigious Kevin Costner Wooden Indian Actor Award goes to Mel Gibson. For the first time in film, the man is emotionless, joyless, and humorless. He plays a reverend who's lost his faith because his wife died in a car accident. One problem with this is that we saw this character ALSO, just a few years ago when we watched Harvey Keitel play a reverend who's lost his faith because his wife died in a car accident. Again, with the unfortunate result that the THEFT of this tired, Stock Character was also bad choice, as that even in that "We-Know-We're-Making-a-B Movie" film (From Dusk Till Dawn), Keitel was much much better.
We never believe that Mel Gibson has lost his faith. We don't believe it when his faith is restored (like we don't see that coming), and I don't believe he's a reverend in the first place. At all. Ever. Instead, he walks through the film like the ghost of an actor who used to be allowed to act, or in lieu of that, to at least play the part of Mel Gibson, Superstar. There's nothing to care about in this character, nothing to root for, and nothing heroic. Welcome to the City of Dullsville, Population: Mel.
And let's not forget plot points that make no sense. 'You've locked what you think might be an alien in the pantry.' Do you A) Peek inside to see if you're right; B) Call a neighbor or friend to check with you; C) Go get a weapon, then check; or D) Call in the police ? Why, it's none of the above. It's obviously E) Just go home and forget about it.
While the cinematography and music are both good, gone is the sense of doom around the corner. There are no plot twists, or what-ifs. What starts off as "What if crop circles were made by aliens" ends with "crop circles were made by aliens." Mel's faith is restored, but with no real reason, nor does he seem glad that it is.
Not a bad movie by any means, Signs is still the lesser brother of Unbreakable, as Unbreakable was to the Sixth Sense.
* * * * * * * * * * Rating: C -
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