Signs
August 25, 2002

     Once a reverend, but after the death of his beloved wife after a freak accident, Graham Hess (played by Mel Gibson) lost his faith in his religion.  Now he is widowed father of two children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin).  Along with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), they live as farmers in the quite countryside of Pennsylvania.  Then a baffling mystery occurs, intriguing crop circles appears in their cornfield, dogs start acting strangely, as if a predator is around, and what could be held accountable for Morgan and Bo’s mysterious behavior?  What is the cause of all this?  Could it be just an elaborate hoax?  Or, could it possibly be, the end of the world?

     A comedy, sci-fi thriller, as Signs, could be, to some extent, an oxymoron   Not that I’m saying that M. Night Shyamalan is an ox that’s a moron (but I have encountered a number people who have said this in their own subliminal ways), but for those who don’t know, an oxymoron is defined as two contradicting terms to create a rhetorical statement.  Okay, on with the point, funny and scary are both antonyms to each other, right?  Shymalan puts these two contradicting elements into a single movie, creating the most unusual of atmospheres.  There’s always a little joke at those tense, anxious, gloomy moments.  But perhaps what I’m typing here is an utter waste of time, seeing as I can’t be sure if the statement of which I have made is quite accurate, but anyhow, let us continue.

    What makes a movie a thriller?  Is it the scary creatures that lurk in the night?  The scary surroundings?  The creepy actions of the actors?  Well a bit of all that, but music is the most important in my opinion.  A perfectly fitting one is what is required.  Such as, one that makes anxiety grow with every beat of the notes, when something lurks behind the door, a sudden high note or noise, triggering the chills to fall down your spine.  The score by James Newton Howard accented the very beautiful parts of the movie (beautiful, meaning the thrilling parts), I think the music was much more frightening than the movie!

     The acting was quite well done, even with an appearance of M. Night Shyamalan himself.  The story was really absorbing, that holds you in suspense throughout, it makes you predicting.

     Though I share a very similar nickname as the name 'Bo', my rating has nothing to do with that, although, Abigail Breslin did an outstanding job in her role. More of a comedy than a thriller, Signs is a movie worthy of viewing.  Wow… my longest review thus far.

 - Bobo

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