Signs (2002)
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A former priest and his family must confront the reality of an extraterrestrial invasion after mysterious crop circles appear on their farm.
The story
After his wife's death, a former Episcopal priest named Graham Hess lives on a rural farm in Pennsylvania with his children and his brother-in-law. The family's isolation is shattered when a large crop circle appears in their cornfield, followed by reports of similar phenomena globally. As mysterious lights appear over cities and rumors of an alien invasion spread, Graham must navigate the growing tension and the possibility of an extraterrestrial presence on their land. When a local veterinarian reveals he has captured a creature, the family is forced to confront the terrifying possibility that the signs in the fields are not a hoax, but a warning of an impending invasion.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Graham Hess, a former priest living on a Pennsylvania farm with his children and his brother-in-law Merrill, discovers a crop circle in his field. While he initially seeks a rational explanation, the appearance of similar circles globally and mysterious lights in the sky fuel rumors of an alien invasion. Graham visits a local veterinarian, Ray Reddy, who reveals he has captured a creature in his pantry. After a terrifying encounter with the creature, Graham boards up the house. During a global invasion, the family hides in the basement while Morgan suffers an asthma attack. The next morning, they find the creature in their living room holding Morgan. Following a memory of his wife's final words, Graham tells Merrill to 'swing away' with a baseball bat. Merrill strikes the creature into water, which acts like acid on its skin, neutralizing it. Graham realizes Morgan's asthma actually protected him from the creature's toxins. By winter, the family recovers, and Graham returns to the church.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Writers
- M. Night Shyamalan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mel Gibson · Father Graham Hess; Joaquin Phoenix · Merrill Hess; Cherry Jones · Caroline Paski; Rory Culkin · Morgan Hess; Abigail Breslin · Bo Hess; Patricia Kalember · Colleen Hess; M. Night Shyamalan · Ray Reddy; Ted Sutton · SFC Cunningham; Merritt Wever · Tracey Abernathy; Lanny Flaherty · Carl Nathan; Marion McCorry · Mrs. Nathan; Michael Showalter · Lionel Prichard
- Genres
- science fiction; horror; thriller
- Themes
- faith; kinship; extraterrestrials
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; ominous
- Premise and plot tags
- alien invasion; crop circles; faith; survival
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film was a financial success and was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised its atmosphere, performances, cinematography, score and story, though some criticized the script.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 241; Metacritic · score: 59 · scale: 100 · review count: 36; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film's concept combined the idea of a family finding a crop circle with an 'end of the world' premise.; The Brazilian birthday party scene was ranked as one of the scariest movie moments in 2004.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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