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Signs

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for Signs PG-13 Released Aug 2, 2002 1h 46m Mystery & Thriller Sci-Fi Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 241 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
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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Signs

Signs

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Jack Walters Loud and Clear Reviews "Shyamalan’s classic sci-fi drama Signs is both a thrilling celebration of the genre and a poignant exploration of the purpose behind life’s random tragedies." Rated: 4.5/5 Jan 18, 2025 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The scares are expertly handled; there’s an undeniable cleverness to the idea that a potential alien invasion could re-instill religious ardor just as it terrorizes an unprepared community. Rated: 8/10 Aug 25, 2024 Full Review Akos Peterbencze The Screen Signs is a quiet contemplation on grief and faith that uses aliens as a means to an end. It’s the horror serving the drama and never the other way around. Aug 6, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Lloyd S This movie is so good I kept my eyes to the screen the whole time. Highly recommended. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review AE J This gem makes my top 10, beautiful screenwriting, visually stunning and engrossing. I catch more symbolism each time I see it, there is a great deal of depth to it, humor and sadness. It is so special, Gibson and Phoenix are on their A games I love both performances equally but for different reasons, each are truly dialed in and deliver utterly believably authentic characters. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/26/25 Full Review Tyler G Badly written, badly acted, and perplexing. We get it Shyamalan- you are having doubts about your religious beliefs. How many movies in a row can be about that? The aliens are vulnerable to WATER?!? Make it make sense. Bad. The only reason this movie wasn't lambasted is because it was acted and directed by big names. The setting and premise of an alien invasion as experienced by a single small farm is a cool idea, but everything else is bad. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/17/25 Full Review Sidney G Terrible acting. I'm not a Mel Gibson fan and this movie shows why. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Blu B A Shamalyan Classic. This has all his tropes and weird touch all over it but here it just works better than other times because of the subject matter. Alien invasions are a surreal topic to begin with so it just fits better than say...plants. The music is really good and the best thing. It's really errie and almost like a horror movie more than anything. It's used really well but isn't that catchy on it's own. Everything else is pretty solid honestly. The acting here is when Shamalyan started to really develop that other world like delivery, look, and dialouge that his films for better or for worse are known for. It's very weird at times but because it's such a creepy flick at times it just adds rather than takes you out of things. It's also pretty well directed to boot. The alien deigns are kind of good I think mainly because we never get a really good look at them ever. So even though there basic there effective still. It goes between the personal backstory of the family and the aliens pretty well. Sometimes it can be a bit random with stuff but again it just works It comes off as weird and quirky which just makes it more unsettling. I think the key here is the plot is pretty grounded so it makes those moments acceptable. Even if this isn't how "Normal" people talk or act during something like this at times. It's weird because in his other stuff it really is laughably bad and just doesn't work at all. But here it just does though it still doesn't make sense at times the more you think about the weird moments. Anyone who is a fan of the director, any actors in this, thrillers, or Sci-Fi should check this out. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/10/25 Full Review Perry B M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs is the cinematic equivalent of being stalked by a shadowy alien… only to find out he’s allergic to water and couldn't survive a kiddie pool. But hey, who needs logic when you've got mood lighting and Mel Gibson doing his best “concerned dad with a crisis of faith” face? Set on a Pennsylvania farm where crop circles appear with eerie precision (because aliens apparently double as graphic designers), Signs takes itself very seriously—and somehow makes tinfoil hats seem like a reasonable fashion choice. Joaquin Phoenix shines as the conspiracy-loving ex-baseball player who swings at everything like he's playing Wii Sports for his life. Shyamalan builds tension with admirable restraint—just don’t ask too many questions, like “Why would hyper-advanced extraterrestrials invade a planet that’s 70% death juice?” or “Why are they trapped in a pantry?” Spoilers: the real “signs” might be pointing to a rewrite. Still, credit where it’s due: it’s spooky, suspenseful, and delivers jump scares that’ll have you flinging your popcorn like a startled squirrel. And in true Shyamalan fashion, the twist will either leave you stunned or screaming at your TV. Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 crop circles. Come for the suspense, stay for the swing-away theology. It truly is Close Encounters of the Corny Kind 🌽👽 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/08/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Signs

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Movie Info

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
Producer
M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer
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
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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