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Thread: just seen 'signs' --- *possible SPOILERS*

  1. #21
    ViresExDecus dewman's Avatar
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    hehe

    it was good... but it wasn't really scary... It had a few startling section (like when it walked into the open for the first time) but that was about it... I think it got so hyped that I thought it was going to bea really scary movie. Also, I'm just not used to seing Mel Gibson in a pasifist role.. He was a total 180 form the Patriot (i know he was a pastor) but if your child was in that situation, its time to break out the shot. But all in all, it was a good movie.
    Dewman

  2. #22
    New Wave Visionray's Avatar
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    Just got back from watching this film.

    For the most part, I thought it was a really great movie. I totally agree with Aversion in that it was refreshing to see a suspenseful movie about normal people - not heros.

    The acting was really well done. Mel Gibson's charactor is so subtle. Joaquin Phoenix is funny and the two kids were great.

    Some basic things I didn't like about the film...
    I felt that there was always so much suspense...that led to nothing. It seems like every scene was built up and then it just slowly died away. I wanted the story and the pacing to be tighter- but I felt it wasn't.

    Some scenes just didn't seem to fit. For example, at the end when the aliens are raiding the outside of his house and they start banging on the doors. That scene started to get really scary. But then right in the middle it cut to a melodrama dialogue between Mel Gibson and his son about what he and his mother experienced during his childbirth. It ruined the scene for me and I saw this happen a number of times throughout the film. It seemed humor and drama were cut in at the wrong places.

    After the end, I felt kind of let down. Why did the alien just stand there while Joaquin Phoenix beat it with a bat? And then there was that horrible shot of the alien when you first see his face. Looks like it was shot on vhs tape from the 70's.

    Also...the news coverage. I thought they should have either left out that whole aspect, or layed it on more heavily. It just wasn't convincing to me that the world was being invaded by aliens. The news reports seemed cheesy, and it reminded me of Deep Impact,Armageddon, and Independence Day.

    One more thing..why is it that every Alien film depects them as green mutants with big eyes? Can't people be more creative as to what A.I. would look like instead of continuing to portray the standard stereotypical image? I thought M. Night Shaymalan could have thought of something more unique.

    Im not trying to rip on the movie. I liked it for the most part..but there are always little things I wish could have been different.

  3. #23
    Say Hello to my little friend. pimpjacksmack's Avatar
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    So since we're posting disagreements...

    How many FARMERS do you know that don't have shotguns or rifles? I understand he was pacifistic, but if nothing else than for the wolves, rabid dogs, etc. Hell, in Indiana, it's legal for farmers to carry concealed weapons.

    I really liked the movie though.

  4. #24
    Jebus' Desciple connelb's Avatar
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    One more thing..why is it that every Alien film depects them as green mutants with big eyes? Can't people be more creative as to what A.I. would look like instead of continuing to portray the standard stereotypical image? I thought M. Night Shaymalan could have thought of something more unique.
    There's usually a little bit of truth to every stereotype. So if people in the world have seen aliens, and they describe what they saw (or think they saw) similarily, it's reasonable to assume that aliens would look (at least somewhat) like the stereotype.

  5. #25
    New Wave Visionray's Avatar
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    Originally posted by connelb

    There's usually a little bit of truth to every stereotype. So if people in the world have seen aliens, and they describe what they saw (or think they saw) similarily, it's reasonable to assume that aliens would look (at least somewhat) like the stereotype.
    Ok I do see your point. I guess I just personally wouldn't think of them that way.

    Here's something else I was wondering though.
    They made the aliens out to be superfast/powerful creatures. There is that scene where they all jump on the roof, and then take off at 300mph through the field. Then they are scattering all over the house really fast at the end. Why did the alien at then end just stand there and do nothing? You would think he could just charge right at the characters and kill them, because M. Night didn't portray them as weak and slow. And it was said repeatedly that they were hostile.

    The ending just threw me off a little. The more I think about it though, the more I like the film overall. All the events that happened such as the wife's death, the boy's asthma, the girls preocuppation with clean water, the sword comment...were all signs that createdthe miracle that would save them in the end. At least that's how I see it.


  6. #26
    Retired Mod aversion's Avatar
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    Originally posted by connelb
    One more thing..why is it that every Alien film depects them as green mutants with big eyes? Can't people be more creative as to what A.I. would look like instead of continuing to portray the standard stereotypical image? I thought M. Night Shaymalan could have thought of something more unique.
    There's usually a little bit of truth to every stereotype. So if people in the world have seen aliens, and they describe what they saw (or think they saw) similarily, it's reasonable to assume that aliens would look (at least somewhat) like the stereotype.
    yeah I didn't think about that, the fact that they actually existed meant that a lot of the reports we see were based on real sightings not nutters as we now assume




    [Edited by aversion on 08-08-2002 at 10:43 PM]

  7. #27
    Jebus' Desciple connelb's Avatar
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    Hmmm, I was thinking about that too, and the only thing I can think of is that the alien realized that he was outnumbered and in a confined room with glasses of water all over the place. Taking the kid as a hostage was probably his best course of action at the time. As soon as he was attacked he attempted to play his hand by executing the kid.

    I'm not sure why the alien was left behind though, and it must have realized how futile its efforts of survival would be, being left stranded on a strange planet inhabited by a race you've just tried to attack. I really look forward to the DVD, Shaymalan always has great information and features on his DVD's.

  8. #28
    Retired Mod aversion's Avatar
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    Originally posted by connelb
    Hmmm, I was thinking about that too, and the only thing I can think of is that the alien realized that he was outnumbered and in a confined room with glasses of water all over the place. Taking the kid as a hostage was probably his best course of action at the time. As soon as he was attacked he attempted to play his hand by executing the kid.

    I'm not sure why the alien was left behind though, and it must have realized how futile its efforts of survival would be, being left stranded on a strange planet inhabited by a race you've just tried to attack. I really look forward to the DVD, Shaymalan always has great information and features on his DVD's.
    I do think that is part of it, he was the alien that was locked in the pantry (the missing fingers) and maybe he just missed the ship home... he was probably desperate, and maybe he was there to actually try and kill them all, he must have been annoyed about those fingers.

    I don't think it was stated anywhere that the aliens were in any way especially strong, in fact the book the kid had said they wouldn't need to be strong, but then he also said they woudl have weapons... I know they were fast but I dont think they were any stronger than us.

    I assume the alien was hiding in the room the whole time, they change colour to blend in right? So he must have had some reason for revealing himself and taking the kid.




  9. #29
    Vox = Voice Vox98's Avatar
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    Originally posted by aversion
    Originally posted by connelb
    Hmmm, I was thinking about that too, and the only thing I can think of is that the alien realized that he was outnumbered and in a confined room with glasses of water all over the place. Taking the kid as a hostage was probably his best course of action at the time. As soon as he was attacked he attempted to play his hand by executing the kid.

    I'm not sure why the alien was left behind though, and it must have realized how futile its efforts of survival would be, being left stranded on a strange planet inhabited by a race you've just tried to attack. I really look forward to the DVD, Shaymalan always has great information and features on his DVD's.
    I do think that is part of it, he was the alien that was locked in the pantry (the missing fingers) and maybe he just missed the ship home... he was probably desperate, and maybe he was there to actually try and kill them all, he must have been annoyed about those fingers.

    I don't think it was stated anywhere that the aliens were in any way especially strong, in fact the book the kid had said they wouldn't need to be strong, but then he also said they woudl have weapons... I know they were fast but I dont think they were any stronger than us.

    I assume the alien was hiding in the room the whole time, they change colour to blend in right? So he must have had some reason for revealing himself and taking the kid.



    Doubt we will see a part 2.

    Anyways, I remember the kid saying that they will have weapons but will not use them, as they know we have nuclear weapons, and if it got to that point we would use them, and then the aliens could not harvest as planet earth would be of no use to them.

    I would like to get the DVD, hopefully they will explain why the alien at the end just stood there like a big ox.
    Another thing I didnt get, how did the aliens punch little moons and stars in the wooden planks?

  10. #30
    Retired Mod aversion's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Vox98
    Another thing I didnt get, how did the aliens punch little moons and stars in the wooden planks?

    haha, that was the family's wooden shutters The planks were nailed over the shutters.







  11. #31
    Yeah, there were a lot of logical fallacys that really dont have any explanation, but I liked the film for the discussed reasons, and agree with Aversion on most. It defititly did the effects right, rather than building the movie around the effects so they could just make a lot of effects only, they made the effects around the movie, only putting them where they really would be needed in a story. It also was refreshing, I'm kinda sick of always following the big hero around, and see him perform feats of wonder over and over again, that are pretty much impossible. I really like the way they did the first alien siteing thing too, on the TV, it was incredibly realistic, and for me captured the realism, somewhat, of what it would be like to see an alien on earth. The way they faked a home-made video, kind of a low quality film, bouncy and fuzzy, the kids genieunly scared and excited, the fact that the alien looked so real (as real as a made up alien could look), and the fact that it took place in a random place (some Latin American country), all added much to the realism. The Gladiotor - emperor guy is a good actor too, he really plays his part well.

    However, why would they need crop circles of all things to navigate? They located earth among the billions of other planets and came here, yet they need to mark where they need to go, in crops? And how could water be harmfull when they are made of water?

  12. #32
    ViresExDecus dewman's Avatar
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    re

    they werent' necessarily made of water, perhaps some other biological structure. In the movie, they said the aliens could read minds. So, I wonder, did the alien read mel thinkiong of his wife, and him thinking of the baseball bat? And if so, why not make a run for it (there was an open window right behind him) (that's how they saw him in the tv, the sihlohuett)... Any way, it was a good movie, just not scary enough, and I'll be interested in seeing what little metaphores and secrets werein the movie .

    Dewman

  13. #33
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    Im surprised this mod is posting this junk... just kidding i think it is a very good movie too.

  14. #34
    Senior Member FFF's Avatar
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    The movie is telling a story about God and faith and although I liked it, I thought that the introduction of aliens to tell such a story was exaggerated for this kind of plot.

    Having studied cinema and television, I can tell that there is a very marked influence of Alfred Hitchcock.... from the opening titles (shouts Psycho) to the appearance of the director in the movie as an actor. Hitch did this in all his movies.

    Pretty good in any case, so if anyone didn't see it yet, and was not put off by the facts that people gave in here, I would say go see it!


  15. #35
    Retired Mod aversion's Avatar
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    Originally posted by FFF

    Having studied cinema and television, I can tell that there is a very marked influence of Alfred Hitchcock.... from the opening titles (shouts Psycho) to the appearance of the director in the movie as an actor. Hitch did this in all his movies.
    I agree, that's why I referenced bernard herrmann in my opening post. I sat down and watched vertigo last year and it was amazing, I hadn't seen it in a while and I thought it was just fantastic.

    A big part of my enthusiasm for this film is how it reminded me of hitchcock and the days of better film making.






  16. #36
    Senior Member FFF's Avatar
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    The opening totally reminded my Psycho, my old time favorite.... and yes, I'm a Hitchcock fanatic, so I appreciated those nice touches from SIGNS. By the way, the movie THE OTHERS has a similar feeling if you're interested.

  17. #37
    Big gulps huh?
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    Originally posted by miyagiofflash
    Shyamalan and Guy Ritchie are the best two movie makers/writers out there currently....David Fincher being the best novel writer

    i just wanted to let everyone know...
    where i wrote David Fincher, i meant to say Chuck Palahniuk

  18. #38
    Retired Mod aversion's Avatar
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    ahhh, that makes more sense, I should check out his books, I haven't yet.




  19. #39
    Big gulps huh?
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    yeah im actually a huge fan, so the mix up in names was rather embarassing...

  20. #40
    Blue Haired Muppet

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    Just thought I would add my 2 cents...

    Loved the movie!

    -X

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