Signs (US)
Click to read:
It`s Happening
Certificate: PG-13
Running Time: 106 mins
Retail Price: $29.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
From M. Night Shyamalan, the gifted writer/director of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable comes the story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania who wake up one morning to find a 500 foot crop circle in their backyard. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his family are told extra-terrestrials are responsible for the sign in their field. They watch, with growing dread, at the news of crop circles being found all over the world. Signs is the emotional story of one family on one farm as they encounter the terrifying last moments of life as the world is being invaded. Get ready for a close encounter of the scared kind...
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Night`s First Alien Film
Storyboards: Multi-Angle Feature
THX-Certified
M. Night Shyamalan takes you on a journey of filmmaking in an exclusive, six part documentary exploring Signs from the birth of the idea, to writing the script, to building the sets, to realizing the creature and other effects, to the scoring and innovative marketing of the film
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 French
Directed By:
M. Night Shyamalan
Written By:
M. Night Shyamalan
Starring:
Mel Gibson
Joaquin Phoenix
Rory Culkin
Abigail Breslin
Cherry Jones
M. Night Shyamalan
Casting By:
Douglas Aibel
Soundtrack By:
James Newton Howard
Director of Photography:
Tak Fujimoto
Editor:
Barbara Tulliver
Production Designer:
Larry Fulton
Producer:
Frank Marshall
Sam Mercer
M. Night Shyamalan
Executive Producer:
Kathleen Kennedy
Jose L. Rodriguez
Distributor:
Buena Vista
Your Opinions and Comments
While dealing with a very extravagant topic, the movie is all about subtleties and relationships.
The video transfer is very good. While several compression signs can be spotted throughout the movie, the video quality is very good and the transfer is clear of any scratches.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is excellent. The surrounds are used very well and help creating a very claustrophobic atmosphere.
The music is also very good and truly fits the movie. The music over the opening titles made me think I was about to watch a Hitchcock movie!
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras include an extensive 1 hour behind the scenes look, 5 deleted scenes, storyboards plus a multiple angles and soundtracks feature and a very early movie from the director.
Bottom line - somehow overlooked, this turned out to be a great movie with superb acting by Phoenix (who really shines) and Gibson and a brilliant script that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Don`t miss this one!
Crop circles appear in Graham Hess`s cornfields. At first he thinks its a prank and he keeps on telling himself that because he does not want to believe. He is an ex father of a church who has lost all faith since he lost his wife. His character builds up well and he is portrayed excellently by the great Mel Gibson. The supporting cast is great especially Joaquin Phoenix and Rory Culkin who play Graham`s Brother and Son respectively. To relieve the tension, there is good humour mixed into the plot and blends in well. Its wrong to compare this to other M. Night Shyamalan movies but since its gonna come up anyway, I might as well tell you that I thought it was better than Unbreakable but not as good as The Sixth Sense.
The picture is crisp and clean all the way through. I had minor problems in dark scenes where the colours looked very pixelated but this was limited to one or two scenes only. The sound was magnificent. Absolutely one of the finest DD 5.1 tracks I have heard.
Extra features were excellent but for such a good movie by such a great director, there should have been a 2 disc release with more extras. There is an in depth documentary looking at how the project was started, how the movie was made and how it was finished. This was quality viewing, one of the best documentaries on dvd. It really covered a lot of aspects. There were also some deleted scenes.
A great movie on a great disc that could have been better. Its a must own.
Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Gibson) assumed about the world is changed when he discovers a message - an intricate pattern of circles and lines - carved into his crops. As he investigates the unfolding mystery, what he finds will forever alter the lives of his brother (Phoenix) and children (Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin). Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan takes movie-goers on a new journey with his film `SIGNS`, a unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.
`SIGNS` is a masterful piece of suspense and cleverness. For those of you who haven't seen the film, I won't give away it's ending (which lets the film down slightly!), but in its own right the film is to be determined by each viewer and their own personal belief of the film. Is it about aliens? Yes and no. Shyamalan didn`t directly point that out but I suspect that there's more to the be judged than what our director Shyamalan vocally places in front of us.
This film commands your outmost attention. Director Shyamalan likes a sluggish pace so if your looking for an exhilarating piece, this may not work for you, for all you thinkers out there, a good film.