# Spoil "Signs" for me (spoilers, obviously) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409 "2003-03-19T00:27:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/1 "2003-03-19T00:27:54Z")
I’m never going to watch this movie, but I’m still curious about the big ending. What made the crop circles, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/2 "2003-03-19T00:46:28Z")
Well, it’s never exactly said that the aliens caused the crop circles, but it’s assumed that they did, and we do know that the aliens are here on earth. The ending was a little bit corny for a few reasons. The aliens come (yes, we actually do see the aliens) and try to kill the main character’s son with this poisonous gas, but the kid has asthma, so he can’t breathe it in, and he lives. A random fact from earlier in the movie suddenly becomes relevant. His daughter is certain that all the water she drinks is contaminated and she keeps leaving glasses of water all over the house. It turns out that the aliens are hurt by water (like the witch in The Wizard of Oz). The aliens are defeated, so there’s another random fact that becomes relevant. Seeing both of these “miracles” (if you want to call them that), the main character (Mel Gibson) decides to return to being Christian after his wife’s seemingly unfair death six months earlier causes him to lose his faith. The last scene shows him getting ready to leave for church, so in my (and some others’) opinion, the ending was a little stupid. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/3 "2003-03-19T00:46:51Z")
Aliens. Shocking! ---
**Author:** ![23skidoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f04885/32.png) [@23skidoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/23skidoo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/4 "2003-03-19T00:47:08Z")
Finding out what made the crop circles is not the big ending. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/5 "2003-03-19T05:22:52Z")
Just finished watching this. So disappointed after having enjoyed both previous movies by this director. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/6 "2003-03-19T05:45:12Z")
It basically rips off the ending of _A Prayer for Owen Meany_. ---
**Author:** ![Mothchunks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@Mothchunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mothchunks)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/7 "2003-03-19T05:45:36Z")
This is one that, given the two stars, I really came away from going “That’s it?” The whole theme of his regaining his faith was just laid on with a trowel. Cameo by the author? was kinda cool. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/8 "2003-03-19T06:15:31Z")
What irritated me so much was that they nevre did anything. It was like a high school play where all the action happens off stage. I only made it through the movie by squiting my eyes and pretending it was a sophisticated parody of Lifetime-style movies. ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/9 "2003-03-19T06:38:05Z")
Within the bowels of the alien starship “Obliterator” the aliens gather around a holographic image of the earth and plot the end of the human species… “So uh,… what’s all that blue stuff?” _Shrug_ “Must not be important then, proceed as planned! MUAHAHAHAHAH!” ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/10 "2003-03-19T07:57:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moi \* > \*\*Just finished watching this. So disappointed after having enjoyed both previous movies by this director. \*\* I was surprised to find the director played the part of the guy who killed his wife (car crash – fell asleep at the wheel, she was jogging). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/11 "2003-03-19T08:35:38Z")
Roger Ebert [liked this film quite a bit.](http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/2002/08/080205.html) He gave it 4 stars. His review (IMO) explained the director’s motivations: > [@](#): > > The genius of the film, you see, is that it isn’t really about crop circles, or the possibility that aliens created them as navigational aids. I will not even say whether aliens appear in the movie, because whether they do or not is beside the point. and: > [@](#): > > There is as little plot as possible, and as much time and depth for the characters as he can create, all surrounded by ominous dread. If I had read Ebert’s review before viewing the film, I probably would have liked it more. I thought it was a science fiction movie (in the standard sense) but it wasn’t. It didn’t have much of a plot; it was about suspense and the loss and regaining of faith. (I took it as a generic “faith”, not specifically Christian faith, even though Gibson’s character is Christian. No Christian dogma is preached in this film.) The science fiction part was incidental. Anyway, I didn’t like it as much as “The Sixth Sense”, but I thought it was OK. The sense of humor helped carry it, IMO. (The tin foil hat scenes cracked me up especially.) I felt it could have been better, though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/12 "2003-03-19T12:58:56Z")
Look at my old thread on it, especially my little dramatization partway down: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=130068&highlight=Signs+AND+CalMeacham](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=130068&highlight=Signs+AND+CalMeacham) ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/13 "2003-03-19T13:12:41Z")
This sums it up nicely: [http://maddox.xmission.com/signs.html](http://maddox.xmission.com/signs.html) ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/14 "2003-03-20T06:08:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shadez \* > \*\*I was surprised to find the director played the part of the guy who killed his wife (car crash – fell asleep at the wheel, she was jogging). 🙂 \*\* Thanks for the heads up, Shadez. I meant to check IMDB or some such to verify that Shyamalan (the director) was the passed out driver. I identified him on first sight not through any familiarity with his looks but because I was wondering what an Indian dude was doing in rural Bucks County. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/15 "2003-03-20T15:05:39Z")
The film is basically spirtual in nature. SIGNS does not refer to crop circles but SIGNS FROM GOD. THERE ARE NO COINCENENCES. This is repeated about 50 times in the movie so yes little seemingly irrelevant facts from the first half of the film come into play for the finale. The film is about Mel Gibson’s character. He was a minister until his wife died in a tragic accident and he lost faith. During the couse of the film he regains his faith. That is what the film is about. ---
**Author:** ![swannguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@swannguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swannguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/16 "2003-03-20T16:44:54Z")
Quote: The film is about Mel Gibson’s character. He was a minister until his wife died in a tragic accident and he lost faith. During the couse of the film he regains his faith. That is what the film is about. And they need evil aliens for that?? Why is it that every time, aliens enter a movie they’re always intend on doing mankind harm?? I can only think of 2 movies which didn’t - ET and Cocoon ---
**Author:** ![swannguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@swannguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swannguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/17 "2003-03-20T16:47:34Z")
Quote: The film is about Mel Gibson’s character. He was a minister until his wife died in a tragic accident and he lost faith. During the couse of the film he regains his faith. That is what the film is about. And they need evil aliens for that?? Why is it that every time, aliens enter a movie they’re always intend on doing mankind harm?? I can only think of 2 movies which didn’t - ET and Cocoon I find the movie a huge disappointment and glad I didn’t see it in the theatre but at home on DVD. I was ok with Sixth Sense (although I still don’t see why all the dead people had be gross) but this was so corny and contrived…I should have stopped watching 10 mins before the end. What is with HollyWood screwing up nice movies but giving it cheesy, corny, patriotic crappy endings?? Is it truly what people want to see? Or what Hollywood thinks people want to see? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/18 "2003-03-20T19:03:23Z")
Try The Day the Earth Stood Still they wanted to help us. In Exploers the aliens were nice. Mac and Me is a cheesy ET rip off. And all of the Star Trek films have some nice aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/19 "2003-03-20T20:46:49Z")
Just curious. Why don’t you just watch it, and find out for yourself? ---
**Author:** ![plastic\_conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@plastic\_conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plastic_conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409/20 "2003-03-21T01:29:24Z")
I wouldn’t suggest watching it. I’m not surprised to find myself diametrically opposed to Ebert. Siskel was always the smarter one. “Signs” doesn’t even work as a drama, let alone as sci-fi or suspense/thriller. None of the characters were interesting, believable or sympathetic. Towards the end, when they’re crying over their “last supper?” What kind of crap was that? Then we have all of the plot holes. I think there were about 35 plot holes altogether, though only 17 of them were unforgivable. (No, I didn’t actually count the plot holes. I’m going for dramatic effect here.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoil-signs-for-me-spoilers-obviously/162409.md?page=2)