Signs 4K UHD [Region Free]

Touchstone / Disney released on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray this intriguing Science Fiction thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan about an alien invasion that affects the farming family of a former Reverand (played by Mel Gibson) who grapples also with being a recent widower who had lost his faith but will need to find it again to fight this threat, and how it will help him regain it.Looking fine in HD (I am presently unable to view the UHD disc) a big upgrade from the previous DVD, porting over those extras, but nothing new is otherwise included. Though not up to the level of the director's previous two films, this works well enough despite some apparent plot holes (depending on viewer interpretation and theories). Still well worth seeing, with an understated but impactful twist at the end.

I think this is my all-time favorite movie. I honestly don't know what everyone is complaining about. This movie is suspenseful, perfectly executed, and its' simple theme of faith and hope and the importance of family and forgiveness is beautiful. Forget the stupid aliens who reacted so badly to water and yet decided to invade a planet made up of 3/4 water; the aliens are a mere afterthought to what the film is really about.The real twist at the end of the film is that there isn't one! I know I was fooled, thinking all along that it all just HAD to be a hoax, somehow, until the family left the basement. And there were plenty of times I jumped in my seat in startelment. We see only quick glimpses of the antagonists (the aliens) in this, but that's enough; somehow its' even more ominous because the imagination can provide far more scarier images than what can be shown on screen. The music was also very good, the same 3 notes providing a background of tenseness and acute hyper awareness and expectation.Most of all, though, the circle of people that was the Hess family, Graham (Mel Gibson, my favorite actor), a recently widowed Episcopalian priest who recently left his church due to a crisis of faith; Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix, my second favorite actor), a washed-up minor league baseball player in his early twenties, the younger brother of Graham (by about 18 years) who moved in with the family after the death of Graham's wife Colleen; and the two children, asthmatic Morgan and water-idiocyncratic Bo. The level of devotion, protectiveness and caring for each family member was palpable; I could truly believe this was a real family. And each of these people's distinctive traits wound up to all be for a reason. The entire theme of the movie was like a sack with a drawstring tie that slowly pulled closed and tightened together until it was closed by the end of the movie, in a very satisfying, comforting manner.The performances of each cast member was flawless, and there were some wonderful moments of humor and silliness to offset the intensity. (Both Gibson and Phoenix have demonstrated their talents for dry wit and comedy before and used it in sparing doses in this.) I think my favorite scene was the "Last Supper", where they all went from tears and anger and impending doom and dread to simple re-affirmation of each one's love for each other.(And they all managed to do it without getting too sappy about it.) The moment when a sobbing Graham, surrounded by his two distraught children, pulls his weeping brother Merrill into their hug was both funny and very touching and poignant.Even the children did very well, bright and precocious without ever slipping into overly cutesy or bratty.I liked the extra "Making Of" feature and especially the deleted scenes; there was one in particular I really wish that would have been kept, where Merrill tries to block the attic door from the aliens and Graham tells him the story of when he, Graham, accidentally broke Merrill's arm when Merrill was 2 1/2.This is a movie I am able to watch multiple times without losing interest. It's well done all around with a little something of everything, and highly recommended.

Always hear two distinctly different takes on this movie- it's a film masterpiece, or it's a corny sci-fi movie. Set your expectations properly before you watch this.Listen to the score for this movie on YouTube before you watch, and you'll get the big picture of this film. It isn't about the extremely scarce yet admittedly terrible special effects. Don't let that be the distraction of this movie- too many people watch this and get hung up on that and it's silly. Focus start to finish on the theme, and get caught up in the unbelievable continuity and retrospection in the direction- you can feel that this whole script was written completely backwards, solely for the theme and message.It is chilling in its cinematography, the audio will make your hairs stand on end, and the timing of the score in every scene, shot and cutaway will have you anticipating something truly frightening, but it never really arrives. Where most other thrillers leave you on the edge of your seat because the monster is always around the corner filling every square inch of real estate in every shot of the film, Signs leaves you waiting for the first real encounter for the entirety of the film. To me, to build an alien thriller around this concept is brilliant.The dialogue is scarce and awkward throughout, much like M. Night's other films. And the timing and delivery of every line is crucial to the story line; rarely is there a line delivered without any future reference or purpose.To some, this film may seem like a message occasionally interrupted by a plot, rather than the other way around- as one would generally expect in a psychological thriller. In some ways they're right- but it needs to be viewed as a whole. The message is the driving force of the story, and every element is crafted so as to bring to life in 107 minutes what a lifetime of living often fails to even acknowledge: Every event is planned and orchestrated, and this movie illustrates this to a point that in any other art form or genre would seem cringe at the least. However, the direction and writing of this movie are so well implemented, so well acted, that you can't help but tear up by the closing scenes, and still be quivering in a little terror from the previous 10 minutes of pounding orchestral music and horrifying cinematography. Love it.So just set your expectations right off the bat. This isn't a movie for someone wanting a lazy thriller in which you won't have to think or recall past the proceeding 8 seconds, with terrifying images of gore and CG aliens, or even a single additional moment of excessive violence for violence sake. There's another genre for that.Don't forget- this is a *psychological* thriller.