Cinema review (From Penarth Times)

Cinema review

Signs

THE BRILLIANT Writer/Director M Night Shyamalan is known for his unique style of filmmaking that encapsulates nervous tension with complex but simple plot lines, and with projects like Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense under his belt many people were expecting his next movie to be just average - they were wrong.

His newest creation Signs is as thrilling as his previous films, it's a dramatic sci-fi, that combines horror with a real sense of tension to make it a legitimate contender for the best movie of the year.

It revolves around farm owner and former priest Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) his two children Morgan (Maury Culkin) and Bo (Abilgail Breslin) and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix).

The family awake one morning to find perfect giant circles in their corn fields, and the affected areas of corn have been bent to the floor but not broken, which leads them to the conclusion, that these very symmetric designs could have only been created by non humans.

This single event causes a chain reaction that will have a profound impact on all members of the family.

Graham is still grieving for his wife, who was killed in a car accident six month previously, and he begins to realise that the next few days must see this damaged family structure reunite - to make it through the tough time that is upon them.

Watch out for M Night Shyamalan who makes a cameo appearance as a local farm owner. The special effects are minimal in this film as it relies on our own personal fears - and that's what makes this film work.