Premise - Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) lives on a Pennsylvania farm with his son Morgan (Rory Culkin), daughter Bo (Abigail Breslin) and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). Six months ago Graham was the towns reverend, but events transpired that made his faith wane. When strange crop circles start appearing in the fields surrounding his house he starts to question more than his faith. Are the circles an elaborate hoax by local teenagers or is there a larger power at work? Once again I managed to stay clear of spoilers for a film and once again I was well rewarded. Much like Shyamalan's previous films (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, we'll forget the nasty film he made with Rosie O'Donnell), Signs keeps the pace deliberate and it's cards close to it's chest right up until the 'didn't see that coming' finale. That's not to say that Signs is a one note movie, one so concerned with it's thrilling denouement that it neglects the rest of the film. No sir, Signs is easily one of the most engaging and intricately crafted films I have seen this year. Director, writer and star M. Night Shyamalan has (for me) made his best film with Signs. Whilst I enjoyed 'The Sixth Sense', I felt it was a brilliant twist ending (Haley Joel Osment was a sledge!) with an average movie attached. Unbreakable was a stunning film looking at how an average man would react to the discovery that he was a superhero in a real world. Not in Gotham or Metropolis, no spandex suits, just a regular guy that realises he is unbreakable. I loved it, but Signs takes this idea to a higher level. Signs ponders the question, what would a normal man, with a normal family do if Earth was invaded by aliens? No 'Independence Day' style buildings blowing up, no covert government agencies, just a man and his family in rural America. How would you react? It's an intriguing concept, not unlike the 'Marvels' series of comic books which looked at popular super hero stories from the point of view of the man on the street. We witness nothing in Signs that the family do not witness. There is no cutting away to the White House or the Pentagon. The only events from the outside world that we see are those that are beamed into the family television. So, when we do finally see footage of the aliens, it is all the more shocking. We are as cut off as the family when transmissions fail, we feel as isolated as the family, as helpless. It's an incredibly subtle, but very effective way to get the audience involved in the film. The whole feel of the film is enhanced by Shyamalan's distinct visual style. His style has been accused of being cold and sterile in the past and to a certain extent I agree. However this style is justified for the kind of films he makes. Shyamalan's films are not fluffy romantic comedies, but real world stories with a supernatural tweak. His cold style is perfect for Signs as it furthers the isolated feel of the house. The corn fields surrounding the house become like a character themselves, swaying in the wind and rustling as if trying to entice the family into their depths. Sound plays a major part in the film, the use of a baby monitor is inspired and is the crux of one of the films most effective scenes. James Newton Howard's score is oppressive and manic, coming in at just the right time to affect the audience. For the most part however, there is no music, Shyamalan preferring to use silence and sound effects to rack up the tension. There are few characters in the film, since we spend the majority of the movie with the Hess family. That puts greater pressure on the main actors to carry the film, which they do excellently. Mel Gibson is an actor I like a lot. He can easily flit from low rent fluff like 'What Women Want' to more challenging roles, he is a versatile fellow. Here he plays a troubled man, one who has lost his faith. The one thing that he spent his life depending on was brutally snatched from him. A mere six months later he has to deal with a threat to the rest of his family. Gibson carries this part off perfectly, quiet and assured, but when the chips are down he is a rock for his family. Joaquin Phoenix plays a washed up minor league baseball player and for most part brings the light relief to the film. I liked his performance and his character acts as a back up to Graham, as a brother should. The two children are good especially Abigail Breslin, It's rare to find such a young actress who is clearly very talented. Rory Culkin is also good as Morgan, hopefully he can avoid the path that his older brother fell prey to. I only really had one problem with the film and that was with some stuff in the final moments of the film that felt a little off. They didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the film. Don't get me wrong, I loved the way the final scenes played out, it's just that some of the elements were a little bit off. Small niggles aside, Signs is a thrilling film that plays with the viewer through a clever use of storytelling. Shyamalan is one hell of a craftsman, a superlative writer/director that keeps on producing the goods.

9/10 for Signs. Poster Quote - The signs are good.