IMDb > Signs (2002)
Signs
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Photos (see all 35 | slideshow) Videos (see all 19 NEW)
Signs (2002) -- A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.
Signs (2002) -- US Home Video Trailer from Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Signs (2002) -- A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.
Signs (2002) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Signs (2002) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   101,917 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
M. Night Shyamalan
Writer (WGA):
M. Night Shyamalan (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Signs on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 August 2002 (USA) more
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:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 15 nominations more
User Comments:
Much To Enjoy, But Somehow Short of the Mark more (2227 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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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.
Runtime:
106 min | Spain:108 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Portuguese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
M. Night Shyamalan insisted that the film posters be released without showing Mel Gibson's face, as it is an ensemble piece, and that it didn't refer to The Sixth Sense (1999), as it's an entirely different movie. more
Goofs:
Boom mic visible: As Graham takes Bo inside, after Houdini has died, they meet Merrill on the way into the house. As Bo mutters "Houdini's sick", the shadow of a boom mic can be seen traveling across Merrill's shirt and face. more
Quotes:
Graham Hess: That's why he had asthma. It can't be luck. His lungs were closed. His lungs were closed. No poison got in. No poison got in. His lungs were closed. His lungs were closed.
[Merrill checks for a pulse]
Graham Hess: Don't touch him. Give him a minute.
[Merrill starts crying]
Merrill: Graham...
Graham Hess: Give him a second.
Bo: Daddy...
Graham Hess: Don't touch him.
Merrill: Graham...
Graham Hess: Don't... Don't.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) more

FAQ

Why crop circles? Don't aliens have GPS?
Wouldn't the water vapor in the air affect the aliens?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
48 out of 87 people found the following comment useful.
Much To Enjoy, But Somehow Short of the Mark, 18 April 2005
7/10
Author: gftbiloxi (gftbiloxi@yahoo.com) from Biloxi, Mississippi

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

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Signs (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
scared the SH*T out of me!! pineapples-from-space
Below par Adrian67
GREAT...until (spoiler) csmovieman-1
Am I the only one... Canonshooter-1
Lesson learned from signs jfunder
Q: Does the Alien heal the boy or pump poison gas to his mouth? e111123
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