Product Details

• Actors: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones
• Directors: M. Night Shyamalan
• Writers: M. Night Shyamalan
• Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer
• Format: PAL
• Language: English, Portuguese
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,247 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006SKUK
• For more information about "Signs" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This B movie with noble aspirations is the work of a gifted filmmaker whose storytelling falls short of his considerable stylistic flair. While addressing crises of faith in the framework of an alien-invasion thriller, M. Night Shyamalan (in his follow-up to The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) favors atmospheric tension over explanatory plotting. He injects subtle humor into expertly spooky scenes, but the story suffers from too many lapses in logic. The film's faults are greatly compensated by the performance of Mel Gibson as a widower whose own crisis of faith coincides with the appearance of mysterious crop circles in his Pennsylvania cornfield... and hundreds of UFOs around the globe. With his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and two young children (Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin), the lapsed minister perceives this phenomenal occurrence as a series of signs and portents, while Shyamalan pursues a spookfest with War of the Worlds overtones. It's effective to a point, but vaguely hollow at its core. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

A third attempt, on the part of M. Night Shyamalan, to disturb our sleep. This time we are in rural Pennsylvania, home to Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), who used to be a minister and is now a farmer; the story is designed to make him wonder if that was such a smart move. First come the crop circles, then glimpses of green men-none too little, by the look of them-vanishing into the corn. Hess is skeptical, but his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and children (Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin) are more seriously spooked, and with good cause; soon enough, it becomes clear that aliens have landed all over the world in search of human beings and other comforting snacks. Shyamalan takes it easy on the special effects; much of the movie, which skirts dangerously close to the uneventful in its need to draw out the suspense, consists merely of the family sitting around watching TV or waiting for a claw under the door. The ending is far too freighted with spiritual intent, yet, as with "The Sixth Sense," you can neither ignore nor forget the mist of sickly unease, streaked with black humor, that rises out of the plot. If Shyamalan is aiming to earn his professional doom-monger's license, he's going about it the right way. With Cherry Jones as a cop. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Movie Totally Surprised Me, March 27, 2006

By 

R. Schneblin (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signs (DVD)

War of the Worlds had great special effects but drove me crazy with bad character development and irritating, disrespectful kids. I can understand why they were like that, but it grated on me throughout the movie.

Signs, on the otherhand, went the opposite way. Very little special effects, but far better character development. You cared about the people so that when they were under threat, you wanted to jump into the movie and protect them. The overall theme of the movie is that there is a reason for everything--even disabilities and tragedy. This is a very difficult concept to portray and I have to hand it to writer/director Shyamalan for giving us something different than the average "scary UFO" action flick. This movie had true substance and ventured into topics and subjects that the typical Hollywood movie lacks.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying!!! (No spoilers here), January 2, 2003

By 

K. West "KW11" (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Signs (DVD)

Ok, I've read a few of the negative reviews that people did on this movie so I thought I'd take the time to defend it for all of you who haven't seen the film but are considering buying it.

Signs was not your typical alien invasion movie. There aren't any dazzling special effects. There's no graphic alien attack scenes. There are no images of the usual global chaos that generally accompany an alien invasion. This was no "Independence Day" type movie.

Rather than doing the usual Alien movie, Shyamalan decides to take a different approach. If you've seen The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, you should already be familiar with his directing style. Rather than making a big movie centered around a big event, he takes things to a more personal level. He takes a character living what appears to be a typical or small life and gives them some extraordinary circumstance to deal with. Its not about everyone else when it comes to his movies. The story is never REALLY about the weird events, but rather, about the character's experiences with them.

I really think some people were disappointed in Signs because it wasn't at all what they expected. They went into the movie thinking it would be all the things I listed that it was not.

Now I'll tell you what it was and hopefully you'll take the time to watch this movie and enjoy it as much as I did.

This was a movie full of both humor and suspense. Signs is about a family and how they come together to deal with the idea that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that aliens might be preparing an invasion. Shyamalan manages to make us laugh at all the right moments as well as make us jump back with surprise. He has a real way of catching us off guard which is one of the reasons why I loved Signs. Just when you begin to relax, something exciting or scary or strange will happen to put you back on the edge of your seat.

But more importantly, Shyamalan adds something new to the usual formula of alien movies. He puts the element of faith into the plot. Not only is the lead character (Mel gibson) dealing with the idea of aliens attacking, but he's also trying to deal with the death of his wife and his lost faith. The alien invasion causes him to ask the question, does everything happen for a reason? Or are we all on our own here?

But make no mistake, this is not a movie I'd let a child see. It gets pretty scary at times so if you're not one who enjoys getting freaked out every 10 minutes, Signs is not for you.

If you are one who enjoys great films... rent or buy signs. It's one of the best movies I've seen all year.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't read these reviews if you haven't seen the movie, June 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Signs (DVD)

I'm glad I saw this movie at the theatre without anybody revealing the plot and resolution to me beforehand, which is what many inconsiderate reviewers here have chosen to do. Do yourself a favor. See the movie without reading about it or asking other's opinions. Form your own opinion after having seen it and, if you enjoy it, simply recommend it to others without explanation. Obviously, many of the people who panned the movie expected something else. They criticized what they saw as shortcomings when the movie wasn't about the shortcomings, but about something more. Yes, I enjoyed The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but my favorite movie of the three is perhaps Signs. There is a character depth that had not been plumbed as deeply as in the previous two. I'll admit, the story was a only a slightly bit contrived (hence the 4.5 stars instead of 5), but suspend your disbelief and the entire story falls into place. And who says it could not have been any other way?