Signs

PG-13

Released Aug 2, 2002

1 hr. 46 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

Drama

TRAILER

for Signs: Trailer 1

List

75%

240 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Mel 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 (Joaquin Phoenix) and children (Rory Culkin), (Abigail Breslin). A unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.

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Critics Consensus

With Signs, Shyamalan proves once again an expert at building suspense and giving audiences the chills.

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Vans L

It has been more than 20 years, and I am still waiting for the ending and my teenager minutes that I gave to this…

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/29/24

Full Review

Ronald H

A widowed Pennsylvania farmer (Mel Gibson) who lives with his brother and two kids (Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin) is awakened one morning by a feeling. Venturing outside into the corn fields, the family finds themselves in the middle of a huge crop circle. They call the local sheriff's deputy (Cherry Jones), who assures them that the problem was kids playing a prank. But as the story progresses, TV news reports crop circles appearing in India and other places, while a video shows unexplained lights in the sky near the U.S. / Mexican border. There are no histrionics, just quiet bewilderment and fear. "Signs" is all about subtlety. It's ominous and spooky, but it doesn't employ cheap scares. Instead, it quietly establishes a feeling of dread using little things like a dog barking or static from a baby monitor. The characters and setting feel absolutely real. There is also a thread of light humor running through this film, but rather than lightening the mood, it just adds to the surrealism. M, Night Shyamalan proves himself to be on the level of Hitchcock and Spielberg here. The camera angles, the lighting, the framing, are all so acutely perfect that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Do aliens ultimately appear? I'm not telling. All I will say is that you will be transfixed throughout.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Lashawn G

It gave me chills,builds the tension,it's a very good movie. but the monster was barely shown and the ending is questionable

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Dhanu K

Signs masterfully weaves a chilling tale of alien invasion, but also infuses the narrative with genuine heart. The most striking aspect is M. Night Shyamalan's subtle and deliberate approach to exploring grief and faith. The cinematography evokes a sense of isolation and defenselessness, heightening the fear of the unseen alien menace. An absolute must-watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

Full Review

Charley S

Perfectly fine sci if flick.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

Full Review

Tyler P

Imagine permanently setting cruise control on 35 miler per hour everywhere you go. Slow to start. Once things progress and "build up" the end result is….. a choice let's say. Very much "all of that for this?" Not to mention the constant back and forth between two storylines involving the past and the present. Very disappointed and even more irritated that I spent $5 on Amazon Prime to watch it. To put it this way, I *specifically* made a Rotten Tomatoes account to put in this review to deter viewers from watching it. Especially if it involves you paying to watch it.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

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M. Night Shyamalan

Director

Mel Gibson

Graham Hess

Joaquin Phoenix

Merrill Hess

Cherry Jones

Officer Paski

Rory Culkin

Morgan Hess

Abigail Breslin

Bo Hess

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Show More Cast & Crew

37%

45%

The Final Cut

85%

72%

Chronicle

96%

79%

Gravity

TRAILER

for Gravity

16%

21%

The Circle

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for The Circle

94%

82%

Arrival

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Signs: Trailer 1

2:26

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Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

Signs is a tense experience; even the opening credits lunge at your throat with orchestral shrieks. It may one day reveal itself as a minor classic, a new Invasion of the Body Snatchers for the manufactured scare of its day.

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

Namrata Joshi

Outlook

It's the content that's to blame. Signs works on a confused storyboard. What's Shyamalan trying to say anyways? Nothing, or rather a bit too much.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 3, 2019

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Signs was the film that sparked the desire that led to the purchase of a camera, many short films, and a love of movies that hasn't left me to this day.

Rated: A+

Apr 17, 2015

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Manages to capture the inherent unease of an alien invasion in frightening ways, while also injecting plenty of heart into the story.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 20, 2023

Full Review

Eric Langberg

The Spool

Signs knows what it's like to witness the end of the world on television and the twisted catharsis that comes with the world not actually ending.

Feb 24, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Shyamalan takes his time, drawing out the exquisite silences, the small trembling portents of terror.

Rated: B

Sep 17, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Mel 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 (Joaquin Phoenix) and children (Rory Culkin), (Abigail Breslin). A unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Executive Producer: Kathleen Kennedy
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Blinding Edge Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Frightening Moments)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $228.0M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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