Review of signs (2014) by Max B — 03 Nov 2013

I honestly don't know where this movie stands anymore. While officially, it still seems to be critically acclaimed, I keep hearing more and more general opinions that lean more towards calling it another one of Shyamalan's infamous flops.

I won't defend the director, because his lapse into such consistent shitness is inexcusable. Personally, I would like the grab the incompetent fucker by the shirt, throw him down, and say: "Look here, dickhead, I'm gonna choose your next project, and by God, you're gonna do it properly".

But let's not sidetrack; let's consider his second major film (excluding 'Unbreakable', as it apparently didn't do very well). 'Signs', in my opinion, is an excellent movie; I would even piss people off enough to suggest that it is the best film concerning Alien Invasion that has ever been made.

I know its emphasis on "family values" and "loss of faith" pulls it down into uncomfortable sentiment; I know that the apparent idiocy of the aliens poses more questions that it answers; I know that the obligatory "twist ending" doesn't sit right with many people.

But fuck it, this movie is also incredibly suspenseful, and flawlessly directed in such an intimate way, that we as the audience are really made to feel that we too are trapped inside that boarded-up house, waiting to die an unimaginable death at the hands of the unseen invaders.

Shyamalan was still in possession of that certain flair, and by rarely showing more than a fleeting glimpse of the aliens until the end, he has managed to turn out a marvellous horror film that rivals the clever executions of Alfred Hitchcock in his best films.

Compare this work to Shyamalan's later productions, and unfortunately it looks like a goddamned masterpiece.