Signs

I can’t believe I have just loved an M. Night film as much as this but here we are. This review could be very very long because there is just so much depth to this film that I feel I could talk about for hours.  It’s honestly a perfect film and although like a lot of his films the dialogue can come across as cringey and awkward, it actually works for this film. It does help having superstar performances from Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. The two kids were fantastic too. Joaquin was the standout in this for me….his character was just so brilliantly executed and it’s arguably my favorite Joaquin role which has really surprised me.  I went into this film expecting a sci-fi/horror but it is so much more than that. The comedy aspects of the film really took me by surprise, I was pissing myself laughing. The humor was just spot on and it worked so well because of the family’s facial expressions. The scene where Mel Gibson is swearing running around the house is brilliant but the funniest scene I think has to be when he comes home and the three others are sitting on the couch with the tin foil on their heads. I was dying.  The film touches on loss and how that can impact you and your family. It does it so beautifully with some incredible scenes from Mel Gibson in these parts. Showing how he lost his faith as a priest was absolutely beautiful and completely understandable. I lost my faith years ago for multiple reasons and sometimes I wish I hadn’t because faith gives you a reason to always be optimistic and gives you a sense that a higher purpose is out there. That hope you get is untouchable and sometimes gives you that little push that you need. The scene with Mel and Joaquin whispering on the couch about what “group” they are in is just such an excellent discussion on religion and really dives into how complicated the character of Mel’s is. The scene where he cracks up at the dinner table was coming all film and it was just so beautiful to see how his family were there when he needed them showing that he wasn’t alone. The way Mel Gibson’s character protects his family all film is portrayed so well. The way he cares for them all is so beautiful and you can just feel the love radiating off the screen at all times. I also did not expect to cry at all during this film but the amount of times I did was surprising. The emotional scenes were just played out so beautifully and they just really got me tonight. The horror parts of the film did actually get me at times and caused me to jump and feel uncomfortable which rarely happens. The sci-fi elements of course were great but I absolutely love sci-fi so there wasn’t much doubt I wasn’t gonna love that part of the film. M. Night really does something special here and that’s because it’s simple and effective. Sometimes I think he tries to force too much of a twist when it’s not needed. He also seems to do very well when he has a good cast because they can make the awkward dialogue sound okay.  I had an amazing time with this film and I feel I could keep on talking about it because there is just so much that could be discussed. It is definitely a film that is going to play on my mind for a long time and I am very happy about that.