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Signs (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
M. Night Shyamalan (written by)
Release Date:
2 August 2002 (USA)
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Tagline:
It's Not Like They Didn't Warn Us. more
Plot:
A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Crop Circle
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Farm
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Pennsylvania
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Alien
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Baseball
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Awards:
2 wins
&
15 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(104 articles)
Mel Gibson to Tell Audiences How I Spent My Summer Vacation
(From Collider.com. 15 December 2009, 1:42 AM, PST)
New Edge Of Darkness UK Poster
(From EmpireOnline. 10 December 2009, 8:27 AM, PST)
(From Collider.com. 15 December 2009, 1:42 AM, PST)
New Edge Of Darkness UK Poster
(From EmpireOnline. 10 December 2009, 8:27 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Much To Enjoy, But Somehow Short of the Mark
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mel Gibson | ... | Rev. Graham Hess | |
| Joaquin Phoenix | ... | Merrill Hess | |
| Rory Culkin | ... | Morgan Hess | |
| Abigail Breslin | ... | Bo Hess | |
| Cherry Jones | ... | Officer Paski | |
| M. Night Shyamalan | ... | Ray Reddy | |
| Patricia Kalember | ... | Colleen Hess | |
| Ted Sutton | ... | SFC Cunningham | |
| Merritt Wever | ... | Tracey Abernathy, the Pharmacist | |
| Lanny Flaherty | ... | Mr. Nathan | |
| Marion McCorry | ... | Mrs. Nathan | |
| Michael Showalter | ... | Lionel Prichard | |
| Kevin Pires | ... | Brazilian Birthday Boy | |
| Clifford David | ... | Columbia University Professor | |
| Rhonda Overby | ... | Sarah Hughes |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (USA) (promotional title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some frightening moments.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
106 min | Spain:108 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:G (Québec) |
Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Portugal:M/12 |
Iceland:12 |
South Korea:12 |
Germany:12 (f) |
Japan:U |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Austria:14 |
Brazil:12 |
Finland:K-15 |
France:U |
Ireland:12 (video rating) |
Ireland:15PG (original rating) |
Netherlands:16 |
New Zealand:M |
Norway:11 |
Peru:14 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Singapore:PG |
Spain:7 |
Sweden:11 |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) |
UK:12A (original rating) |
UK:12 (video rating) (2003) |
USA:PG-13 (certificate #39105) |
Venezuela:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
This film was shot in Newtown, PA. The scene which takes place in "2 Aldo's Pizzeria" is really a family-run pizzeria called "Mom's Bake at Home Pizza".
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Goofs:
Continuity: As Officer Paski walks back to her cruiser, her ballpoint pen shifts from being clipped on the outside of her shirt pocket to being fully inside.
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Quotes:
Graham Hess:
Isabel, you are going to feel very silly when this turns out to be make-believe.
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Movie Connections:
FAQ
Why didn't the aliens arm themselves?Is "Signs" based on a book?
Why crop circles? Don't aliens have GPS?
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more (2230 total)
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In a documentary that accompanies the film on DVD, M. Night Shyamalan admits that SIGNS was greatly influenced by such films as NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and Hitchcock's THE BIRDS--an admission that will come as no surprise to any one who has seen SIGNS in the wake of those films. Although very different, all three have one thing in common: they ultimately focus on a small group of people fighting off an unnatural entity that attempts to invade their very ordinary homes.
The story is an unusual mix of meditative religious and classic sci-fi elements blended together by Shyamalan's remarkable sense of visual style. Mel Gibson is a minister who has lost his faith in the wake of his wife's tragic accidental death and who now rejects the concept of unseen powers entirely--so he is nonplussed when his children discover a crop circle in his own cornfield. He remains skeptical even as television news coverage reports alien crafts hovering over major cities. But his denial is exploded when he and his family have a close encounter of the extremely nasty kind.
The small cast is extremely, extremely good. I generally dislike Mel Gibson as an actor, but he has grown a bit since his macho-bravado BRAVEHEART days, and while he might seem an unlikely choice for the part of a failed minister he carries it extremely well. Joaquin Phoenix is perfectly cast as Gibson's younger brother, and the children--Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin--are flawless.
What isn't flawless is the story. The blend of religious and sci-fi motifs is an interesting idea, but director Shyamalan (who also wrote the script) doesn't quite manage to hold them in balance, and ultimately winds up beating you over the head with the film's religious elements while giving the sci-fi elements the short end of the stick. I did appreciate the fact that the film builds suspense more by what it does not show than what it does, and I have no qualm with that--it's a welcome choice after such special effects overkill as INDEPENDENCE DAY and the like--but several of his plot devices smack of stereotype, and the film's conclusion is such a deus ex machina that it is not to be believed. There is indeed a great deal to admire about the film, but when all is said and done it somehow lacks sincerity and falls just short of the mark. Entertaining nonetheless.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer