M. Night Shyamalan: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

Signs (2002)

Signs is a masterclass in suspense. It is a film that does so much with so little - oftentimes not anything more than shadows and corn stalks - that it€™s almost impossible to believe the amount of tension that it can create within us. But it is also a film with purpose and drive, and a film that uses its suspense for more than just scares, but to bring us closer to a definitive thought on a subject. In the sense that it is effective and true to its purpose, Signs is M. Night Shyamalan€™s best film, and perhaps the only truly great film he€™s ever made. The direction comes first. The script is a bit shallow at points, and a large amount of disbelief must be suspended for the film to work. But the direction, calm and composed in each beat, keeps everything together and makes us forget our doubts. In those moments, we believe everything that Shyamalan throws at us. One interesting thing to note is how much of the film is framed from the eyes of an invisible watcher. We see scenes unfold through windows. We look at characters from behind the cornfields while they look in, never seeing. We hover above for a Gods-eye view, or perhaps, the view from a spaceship hidden high in the clouds. All the while, even before much of anything happens, we are constantly aware of the feeling of watching and being watched. Having the eyes of the other upon us. Tracking us. Shyamalan is wise to let us scare ourselves with our mind, never showing us too much of the monsters until the end (when, in many ways, it doesn€™t matter as much). We hear things in the dark, think we see things but aren€™t sure, while all the while our minds summon up the worst. Every shot is framed exactly the right way. Shyamalan lets us see just enough to give us something to believe in, but there's always a sense that there's something just outside the frame that we can't see, and so our imaginations run wild. The audience€™s imagination is the greatest tool at the disposal of a director or suspense or horror; here, Shyamalan knows it and plays us like a drum. Many were (and continue to be) put off by the fact the film€™s overly religious ending. I think there are two ways to look at this. First: the film€™s ending doesn€™t come out of nowhere with its spirituality. That€™s the movie that Signs has been the entire time. That ending - belief or non-belief - is the only real way the movie could€™ve wrapped itself up because that was really the only thing it was ever about. Second: if you don€™t have religious beliefs and tend to be put off by movies that force them on you, you€™re probably not going to like the movie anyway. The same goes for Unbreakable and superheroes or comic mythology. These movies are what they are: the mistake is thinking they€™re about something they€™re not. Signs is a religious film about an alien invasion, not the other way around. The former is the point, the latter a vehicle to getting there. That€™s why, at least for me, the ending doesn€™t come as a letdown, either in its miraculous resolution or the fact that these aliens seemingly overlooked the fact that 70% of the planet they invaded is lethal to them. It€™s a means to an end, and because the end connects on an emotional level, and the film is so superbly crafted, it€™s easy to overlook these slip ups. I don€™t mind my films getting mystical or metaphysical, either for or against religion, as long as they€™ve got something compelling or real to say and are made with true purpose. I can understand why others may feel differently. But Signs is a film made with conviction and a sure hand, and for that I cannot help but admire it, and hope that somewhere in the future, Shyamalan can make a film to equal this one. He€™s done it before, hopefully he can find his balance and do it again.