Signs

Signs is a very appropriate title for this movie. You might ask “Why?” but then it would be obvious that you haven’t seen the film. The message that the movie intends to make, I do not regard the message as a spoiler, is that everything happens for a reason. In fact I think Mel Gibson might even say that at some point.

The problem is that in the movie EVERYTHING happens for a reason and it’s all so very obvious. Does M. Night (it’s a sign) Shyamalan think we’re that stupid, that the message has to be so blatant, preachy and pretentious? I would have much preferred a movie like this, with great moments of anxiety and freakiness, to either have not had a message, or at least buried it.

It would have been much better if, during the car ride home, I could have exclaimed, “Oh, wow, that’s why that happened!” Then I could go back and examine the movie in my head, picking up on all the little clues and happenings and putting them all together. I might even have to go see it again. But, no, in this case the movie is full of signs that are so epic that they put highway exit signs to shame.

Speaking of epic, let me not forget about the camera work. How many 180-degree pans and 3 layer shots can one movie have? They are great when they are used well (like in other films) but they lose all meaning when they are used in almost every scene. It’s just too much wank for one man to take!

The movie did have its ups. While I was bored most of the time, other members of the audience did scream, and a few times I was startled. (These kinds of movies don’t scare me.) However, let’s face it, if you want to be scared and startled then rent a few classics. I suggest, Psycho, Charade (a remake staring Mark Wahlberg comes out this year, see the original), Wait Until Dark, or the grandfather of all suspense, Fritz Lang’s 1931 classic, M.