'Signs' Chills to the Bone

Furthermore, many are saying that Shyamalan's script is a bit too black and white, and that the writer/director/producer never bothers to address the gray areas of life. While this is true, the whole premise of the move is that signs appear for a reason-- fate has its destined course no matter what path you take. Within this logic, Shyamalan's simplicity of the world not only works, but also makes the story stronger since it helps keep the plot focused on what's happening rather than what could have happened if only something else had occurred first.

Chills, screams and surprise ending aside, "Signs" does manage to mark a departure for Shyamalan thanks to its witty script. Unlike "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable," Shyamalan manages to capture the humor in every day situations-- even the bad ones-- splendidly with "Signs," and provides viewers with that much needed laughter after 20-minutes of suspense. Phoenix in particular is simply hilarious as the live-in uncle, who as the film progresses becomes much more kid-like than the adult figure he's supposed to be.

Overall, coming from a summer with only enough memorable films to count on one hand, "Signs" not only provides the entertainment value so many other Hollywood blockbusters have lacked these past few months, but also the suspense so many gory horror films have lacked during the past decade. Shyamalan proves that you don't need big-time special effects, lots of gore or even more than three drops of bloodshed to have viewers leaving their nightlights on-- all you need is a good script, some talented actors and a great director. Imagine that.

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