They see aliens? 'Signs' is 'Sixth Sense' good

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

SIGNS (Rated PG-13) Three-and-a-Half Stars (Good-to-Excellent) M. Night Shyamalan's spooky new thriller that's also an intriguing tale of a crisis of faith. Mel Gibson stars as a former Episcopal priest, trying to protect his family after crop signs frighten the world with the prospect of alien invasion. Joaquin Phoenix co-stars. Touchstone, 120 mins.

But they're as important as a red light that stops a family's van from being rammed by a semi.

The huge designs in farmers' fields are an important warning of possible dire consequences.

In the engrossing thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, a matted-down cornfield tells farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) that something strange is afoot.

Since most of us have seen "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "The War of the Worlds" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still," we suspect an alien invasion.

But there's more. The TV tells of more crop circles in India and Mexico and all over the world.

Then an ominous green creature is spotted in the background of a birthday party video, and a fleet-footed "something" leads Graham and his brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) on a fruitless chase around their Pennsylvania farm.

And then one of the creatures gets locked in a pantry. Our suspicions are confirmed — we're in for a frightening ride with an alien-invasion flick.

And Shyamalan knows how to tease us.

We get only brief glimpses of the invaders — at least until the finale. Like other first-rate, entertaining filmmakers, Shyamalan knows that what we imagine is more fearful than anything he can show us.

But wait. Because this is a Shyamalan film, there's more going on than cheap thrills. With only a few films, the India-born Philadelphia-reared director has earned a reputation for bringing depth and substance to what are normally considered B-movie thrillers.

That's why the 31-year-old filmmaker is already being touted as a successor to Hitchcock and Spielberg.

In "The Sixth Sense," a love story and family issues gave resonance to a fabulous ghost story.

In the less successful "Unbreakable," questions of self-worth and personal responsibility brought much-needed depth to a gloomy tale about an unlikely superhero.

And in the more entertaining "Signs," the aliens may grab us, but the underlying issue is faith — faith in a father, faith in a brother, faith in ourselves and, believe it or not, faith in God.

Hess runs a family farm with his two children and a grown brother. But he's also a former Episcopalian priest.

After his wife was killed in an especially brutal car crash six months earlier, Hess shed his Roman collar — and his faith.

So, without being heavy-handed about it, "Signs" is both spooky and spiritual.

Shyamalan's engrossing filmmaking, the script's surprising touches of humor, and James Newton Howard's Hitchcock-influenced music score buoys this odd but effective combination.

"Signs" also benefits from several fine performances.

The usually physical Gibson takes a rare inward tact, offering a restrained but deeply felt portrait of a man in a Job-like state of despair.

But there's nothing more energizing than aliens threatening your children.

His brother, Merrill, is also on a downward spiral. A former athlete, he's remembered for not only leading the minor league in home runs but also in strikeouts. And he was a bust in the majors.

How Merrill's background factors into the tale is a big stretch; Shyamalan is talented enough to sell it.

We already know from "The Sixth Sense" that Shyamalan is one of the best ever directors of children. That's true here, too, as proven by the effective, funny and touching performances by Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin as the two Hess children. (Yes, Rory is one of "those" Culkins.)

Even the supporting performances are memorable, including Shyamalan himself as a neighbor with an important tie to the story, and especially Cherry Jones as a capable local cop who's also a bit of a therapist.

"Signs" isn't quite on a par with the remarkable "Sixth Sense." Few films are. But it's a decided improvement over the gloomy, uneven "Unbreakable."

Fans looking for nothing but alien frights and high-energy action may be disappointed. Shyamalan believes such stunts are merely a means to an end. They aren't the end themselves.

But if you like a film that provokes thoughts and feelings, and features real people with real problems, "Signs" qualifies.

It's a definitive, high-quality indicator — a sign — that M. Night Shyamalan is much more than a one-hit wonder.

Rated PG-13, with frightening moments.