A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come. Signs is a film that is slow and it takes some time to get where it wants to be and the lack of action for some it might hurt the movie in the eyes of certain viewers. The perfomances from the main cast are terrific especially Mel Gibson and Abigail Breslin and some scenes like the one where Phoenix's character is watching one of the aliens on the TV were super creepy. Signs wanted to make a difference and built suspense instead of action and despite some pacing issues it did that. (8/10)

What you will find in this film:-Ridiculous plot elements: such as the water thing, and the totally unnecessary back-story explanation of Joaquin Phoenix character.-Risible dialogue: lil' Culkin giving a speech to her 5-year-old sister about the importance of documenting the invasion so their sons will know their parents were there. Also Mel Gibson cursing (" Ahh! I'm insane with anger!")-Poor acting: there would have been more emotionality and gesticulation in carboard cut-outs of the cast. Just terrible. -Cheap CGI. Not even the characters in the film were scared of the alien.-Coincidental Broadcast cliché: Turning the news on precisely at the right moment EVERY SINGLE TIME. Someone please stop Shyamalan from making movies.

Signs is a very underrated horror movie, almost as good as The Sixth Sense. The actors all did a great job, and made the whole thing believable. Before I saw the movie, I had no idea how scary it was going to be. The part with the TV news report with the alien sighting is one of the most disturbing moments in a horror movie. I remember the hair standing out on my neck the first time I saw it. I still have trouble watching it. Probably because it feels like we're watching a real news report. And although I'm not a fan of jump scares, the scene with the alien hand under the door is pretty darn frightening.Even though it's a horror movie with aliens in it, it's predominately a movie about the loss and rediscovery of one's faith. The aliens could easily have been replaced by zombies or giant, flesh eating koalas. The aliens are just stereotypical aliens, humanoids without clothes. I suppose some people were disappointed by this, and perhaps wanted something like the xenomorph. Personally, I think they're way scarier than the creature from the Alien series...the xenomorph is like a shark, a dumb animal. The aliens from Signs are home invaders from outer space.Aliens have always been popular in Hollywood and in comic books etc. Most people like stories about visitors from galaxies far, far away. Star Wars, Avengers, Superman...they're usually portrayed either as evil invaders or advanced peacemakers.Scientists are eager to find life on other planets (SETI). Some of them have even gone so far to suggest that, since life here on earth seems to be designed, we must have been created by little green men. Other scientists have also speculated that we humans are a part of a computer simulation made by these aliens. Evolutionists desperately want to find aliens, as a way to discredit religion.Many people all over the world claim that they have seen UFO's or have even been abducted by aliens. It's certainly possible that many of them lie or suffer from false memories/sleep paralysis. But every single one? Unlikely. Something is really going on here.After years of researching the UFO/Alien phenomenon, most of the serious UFOlogists have come to the conclusion that these beings aren't really aliens from outer space at all. Abductees say that these beings can walk through solid objects, use telepathy, take over your mind...UFO's are known to change shape and defy physical laws. So what are they really? According to the well-known UFO researcher John Keel (The Mothman Prophecies): "The UFOs do not seem to exist as tangible, manufactured objects...The thousands of contacts with the entities indicate that they are liars and put-on artists..."And it gets worse. Here's a quote from Jacques Vallee:"An impressive parallel can be made between UFO occupants and the popular conceptions of demons."John Keel:"The UFO manifestations seem to be, by and large, merely minor variations of the age-old demonological phenomenon."Whitley Strieber, an author who claims to have been abducted by aliens (the story was made into a movie based on his book "Communion", with Christopher Walken as Strieber):"It was hell on earth to be there (in the presence of the entities), and yet I couldn't move, couldn't cry out, couldn't get away....Of course they were demons.... and I couldn't get away."The famous occultist Aleister Crowley told that he had contact with a strange being called "Lam", which he drew on a piece of paper. The being looks almost exactly like the stereotypical "gray alien" you see everywhere. Google it if you dare.This is all pretty disturbing, huh? And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Some (secular) researchers have even discovered that the "aliens" go away when their victims cry out for Jesus. Also, the "aliens" often tell abductees that they are our masters, that they created us. They want to be worshiped, and tell their victims that Christianity is false. You hear about these strange and disturbing UFO cults...members claiming to be in contact with a higher, alien consciousness. They believe that the so-called aliens are our saviors that will give us superpowers and save us from ourselves. The Alien/UFO phenomenon is closely linked to the occult.These entities have supposedly disguised themselves throughout history, usually based on our latest "fads". First, they appeared as pagan gods, then strange creatures like fairies etc. During the Victorian times, spiritualism that was all the rage. In our modern, "scientific" era, it's aliens. The aliens and UFO's have also altered their appearances based on how aliens are portrayed in popular culture. From human-looking aliens to grays, from rockets to glowing balls of light.I'm not saying that people like Keel, Vallee and the other researchers believe that aliens are demons. As far as I know, none of them have/had any religious beliefs. According their theories, aliens are something called "interterrestrials". But really...how is this any different from fallen angels?Does this mean that the aliens in Signs are supposed to be demons? Some fans have suggested this. They can be harmed by water (holy water), and in the end the aliens in Mel Gibson's house are defeated by God. The news report at the end say that the rest of the aliens were defeated by using an "ancient method", possibly prayer. If I remember correctly, this theory has been debunked by the director himself. They're "real" aliens from outer space. Anyway, the thought that so-called aliens really are demons makes Signs even scarier...(There's actually a documentary revealing the truth about aliens coming out this year, called "Alien Intrusion", based on a book by Gary Bates)

You think crop circles are a hoax? M. Night Shyamalan's film tries to have you thinking differently. And not just about crop circles.Rev. Graham Hess, is a widower living in a farmhouse along with his two children, Morgan and Bo. Graham's younger brother, Merrill, has also joined the household. Wait. Did I say REVEREND Graham Hess? Make that FORMER reverend since, as a result of his struggle to make sense of his wife's death, Mr. Hess has lost his faith.His wife's dying words were "Tell Merrill to swing away..." The randomness of those words sends Graham into a nihilistic tailspin, causing him to say things like, "I am not wasting one more minute of my life on prayer" and "there is no One looking out for us...we are all alone."But it is the seemingly random words and happenstances of the film that congeal in the end to produce an epiphany of sorts. In this regard, Hess's epiphany is not too different from the one experienced by Jules in Tarentino's PULP FICTION. If PULP FICTION had a big idea, it was that even the least worthy can catch a break from the Man Upstairs. Similarly, Shyamalan's big idea here is that even when aliens with bad intent show up on earth, God still cares, God is still in charge. It's just not so obvious. Until it is.In this way, "Signs" may just be a 105-minute, suspense-filled meditation on the Scripture that goes, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God..." (Romans 8:28). And maybe even for the good of those who don't.This film has its definite strengths. There are some genuinely eerie moments midst the cornstalks (naturally). The "Field of Dreams"-like setting and cinematography are easy on the eyes, effectively contrasting with the shadowy alien invasion. As for the cast, Abigail Breslin (as Bo), barely six years old and in her first film, does a great job being unself-consciously precocious. And there's barely a hint of Mad Max in Mel Gibson's Graham Hess. Furthermore, I tend to like anything Joaquin Phoenix does, including the weird Hip-Hop-ZZ-Top thing he did a few years ago. The weak link is the older brother (played by the younger brother of the kid who played the kid in the Home Alone films).Cinematically speaking, it is clear that Shyamalan has learned much from his movie-making idol, Alfred Hitchcock. On the other hand, unlike Hitchcock, Shyamalan is not content with a fleeting cameo. Instead, he cast himself in the role of a major minor character and the low quality of this performance is distracting. So, yeah, another weak link.Yet another complaint: the aliens come off as pretty wimpy. How is it that a humanoid species can figure out how to travel from one solar system to another but can't figure out a defense against one of the most basic of elements? C'mon now. Really, the best thing about this film is the theological question: Does a caring God exist or not? Shyamalan keeps this theological tension taut throughout the film and resolves it in a manner that you probably did not see coming.UPSHOT: despite its flaws, "Signs" manages to be a worthy film that can promote an even more worthy conversation about fate and faith, God and grace.