Signs
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Rated: PG13
reviewed by Dallas Shipp
Crop circles: You know them when you see them. They appear,
seemingly from nowhere and no one, making them a particularly intriguing
mystery. I used to like to read about things like crop circles. Some of the
cheaper kid's science fiction writers loved to link crop circles to alien
abductions, UFO's, and other related things. Seems we usually link these
strange "signs" to extra-terrestrial life. To some Christians, this sort of
science, or science-fiction, abandons religion. After all, the giant science
fiction films of the past, like Contact,
Independence Day, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
all left behind questions of God, and some, like Contact, were little
more than anti-Christian propaganda disguised as entertainment.
Do Christians have cause to be uneasy about science fiction?
Personally, I enjoy it very much. There is a thick line between
the blatant propaganda of Contact's caliber and good
fiction, but I do agree that most of the alien genre science
fiction films of the day leave God totally out of the
picture, as if He is not part of the equation. God is real, and
His presence in the world is as real as your computer screen. Signs
writer/director M. Night Shyamalan shows us that this
religious abandonment in film simply is not necessary. Shyamalan
has released three Hollywood studio produced films. The
acclaimed
Sixth Sense, which won Oscar attention, was a
psychological journey.
Unbreakable, one of my favorites of 2000, was an emotional
journey. Signs, Shyamalan's latest production, is
a spiritual journey. If you walk away from this film thinking it
is about aliens, you have missed the entire film. I saw this
movie with a good friend of mine, and he walked away convinced
that M. Night Shyamalan is a Christian.
Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former protestant minister and
farmer who abandoned Christianity for atheism when his wife was
killed. As his life was very badly shaken, his brother Merril
(Joaquin Pheonix) moves in to help with Graham's two children,
Bo (Abigail Breslin) and Morgan (Rory Culkin). One morning on
the farm the children wake up to the dogs barking in
the cornfield. A mysterious crop circle had been formed in the
field overnight and the dogs are going insane with
panic. Graham, Merril, and the local sheriff (Cherry Jones) are
convinced that the circles were made by some local pranksters,
but the Hess children have their own ideas about it all. Some
strange happenings during the night, as well as thousands of
crop circles appearing around the world make Graham and
Merril increasingly weary of the situation.
Finally Graham is forced to conclude that the whole thing "is
for real." That it is not the most incredible, elaborate hoax in
history. Graham is also forced to decide: is humanity to fend
for itself against this danger? Is it easier to believe that his
existence is an accident, or that he was created with a purpose?
Is it easier to believe in luck, or that nothing is coincidence?
Is he to be left alone to defend his loved ones, or is there
a God who will defend them all? Did he ever really stop
believing? This film was incredible and moving. The directing,
as usual, was top notch. M. Night Shyamalan is my favorite
director, and I would be false not to admit my bias here. The
writing was brilliant, mixing gripping suspense with
light hearted comedy elements. There were gasps and laughter in
my audience, and the film deserves both. The photography was
exceptional. I took special notice to the lighting and the
sound. Keep your eye out for this film at the Oscars. The score,
mostly a haunting violin quartet, was quite memorable. Kudos to
the background of the film. The acting was very good. Joaquin
Pheonix was very impressive. This young actor has already
received two Oscar nominations for best supporting actor. Rory
Culkin and Abigail Breslin were both exceptional as the Hess
children. Shyamalan has discovered some of the best child actors
in the past few years. Also watch for Shyamalan himself in a
small supporting cameo role, a veterinarian named Ray.
This film was rated PG-13 for tense and horrific scenes.
Offensive language was very mild. There was no sexual content.
There was some light blood. A dog is stabbed through the neck.
We see the slightly bloody knife removed, but not the wound.
There is some violence onscreen. We have a very brief glimpse of
flesh being cut, but there is no blood. There are several jump
scenes in this film. Have a fair warning, it is very scary. Signs
is not a film for children or those who wish to avoid
being frightened. I think it is an excellent film quality wise
as well as story wise, and give it my highest rating and
recommendation. So far, I believe it is one of the best films I
have seen this year. It is a powerful statement of theism, and I
applaud Shyamalan for the production of this film. It is
both entertaining and thought provoking. A psychological and
spiritual thriller. Think Close Encounters of the Third Kind
is good? See
Signs.
Editor's Comments:
Frankly, when I heard Shaymalan was making a film about crop circles
and an ex-minister whose faith has been shaken by the death of his
wife, I had my doubts. After all, I hadn't liked the theology or
spiritual implications in The Sixth Sense, and found
Unbreakable uncommonly dull. But my interest peaked with my
friends' high praise of Signs, and so I went. I laughed,
cried, screamed, and clutched the arm of the person nearest me. But
I didn't come out thinking about aliens. If you think Signs
is only about extra terrestrial life, you are much mistaken. This
remarkable film successfully works a concept that only Tolkien and
Lewis have formerly achieved... to mix religion with science fiction
and fantasy and get away with it. But more than that, to achieve the
greatest achievement of mankind... to make people actually think
about the story, its concept, and its meaning for days afterward.
Signs raises some very poignant questions and alludes to the
answers... Is there such a thing as coincidence? Are we alone
in this world? Are we on our own? ... or is Someone watching out for
us?
The psychology in the piece is also enthralling, and
unlike the prior two, I never had my misgivings
about where we were headed. The music is haunting,
the acting sublime, the clues chilling and yet
entirely plausible as they lead up to a powerful
climax. There are some anti-God statements
voiced toward the latter part of the film, but in
the end, one character's faith in God is restored.
How? Well, you'll just have to find that out for
yourself. Aliens probably don't exist, and God would
never allow them to invade earth anyway, but maybe
that's not what Signs is all about...
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