Signs

-Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002)

Summary:

Aliens and Mel Gibson, oh my!

 My Thoughts:

M. Night Shyalmalan’s third film proves two things: he's a genius and he's not. I don't know what it is about him, but I love his films while at the same time I'm mostly disappointed. It’s strange how great of a director he is and that he doesn't follow a lot of the typical Hollywood norms, while leaving me feel that something is missing.

Signs is based on the idea that crop circles are a means of alien communication. In the case of the aliens in the film, this form of communication helps them kill us. Signs takes place in a rural community and focuses on the farmstead owned by Mel Gibson. Gibson plays a preacher named Graham Hess who lost his faith after his wife was killed in a horrible traffic accident. Much like M. Knight Shyalmalan’s other films, Signs is as much about the characters as it is about the creepiness going on, in this case, an alien invasion. The film’s events are driven by what can only be described as a subtle higher power under the backdrop of a sci-fi setting. I'm not going to go too deep into the plot, since the joy of this film is in the suspense, but the purpose of the aliens being on Earth is actually pretty creepy and leaves you with a rather empty feeling if you think about it.

I've read criticism that the plot is weak and to some extent it is. The true value of Signs is in the direction and editing. The cinematography makes you feel like you are part of the film rather than just an observer. Shyalmalan isn't Hitchcock, but he is talented. Despite both his and the film’s weaknesses it’s a good cinematic experience for people who enjoy such things. This isn't an action or a true horror film that might be disappointing to some, but to me it’s worth a purchase.

As a DVD it’s a fairly standard edition. There's nothing too spectacular or nothing that bad to note. I have to add that the surround mix keeps the atmosphere both moody and frightening when it needs to be, but isn't over the top.

Major spoilers below. Highlight to read my gripe section:

The aliens in Signs are a neat variation on the “greys” so often seen in alien abduction stories. They can jump far, shoot gas out of their hands, change color, and have mastered the art of interstellar space travel, but there are a few loopholes left in the plot. One, what good are crop circle signs as a map when you can only see something like that during the day? And two, if simple H20 acts like acid on your skin, wouldn't you think that the aliens would have space suits? God forbid, farmer brown invested in an irrigation system or even a simple lawn sprinklers. Hell, you'd think dew collected on grass in the middle of the night would hurt like hell. If I land on a planet consisting of 80% acid, it rains acid, and the people there drink and use acid all the time, I'm going to have an anti-acid space suit before I land.

Extras:

There aren't a whole lot of extras included in this edition. The motion menus are fairly creepy and keep in perfect tone with the film. Deleted scenes, everyone's favorite special feature, are also included. The scenes themselves are good as a whole and are worth a watch.

A clever little extra is the “Story Boards with Multi-Angle Features.” In this section you can watch two different scenes with three audio options: final mix; score; effects only. With each selection you can press the multi-angle button and flip between either the storyboard sequence for these scenes or the final cut. Not too many DVDs utilize the multi-angle button so whenever it is used I’m all for it.

The “Making of Signs” sections features a ton of little featurettes that run about 8 minutes long. Each one provides a satisfying insight into the making of a different aspect of the film.

Each one of Knight’s DVD releases have had footage of films he did as a kid as a funny kind of a bonus. Signs is no exception; it contains a bit of a creature feature that is pretty horrible. It’s a funny little extra, but nothing to get too excited about.

Score:

Film: 7.5

Extras:  6

Edition: 7.0

-Paul