Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Signs

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Suspenseful Shyamalan movie has extreme tension and peril.

Movie PG-13 2002 106 minutes
Signs Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 12+

Based on 29 parent reviews

sierrab1
sierrab1 Adult
April 25, 2016
age 14+

The "Signs" of a great film

"Are we are the type of people who see luck or who see miracles? Are there such things as coincidences?" These are the questions that will be swimming through your brain for hours after you watch this movie, which is a much more productive thought process then, “Blood...guts...” like your typical alien/horror movie. This is why this film is an amazing success: We get asked one of the most important question in life by characters we love and trust. We have seen them developing throughout the film. I found myself wanting to believe as they do! With this question of faith, this film is able to crack our “movie comfort level” just enough for us to begin to think deeper and bigger about life's important issues. And that, is the sign of a good film. It is perfect for families and children to bond together and help kids develop stronger moral values.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.
The Big E
The Big E Parent of 11-year-old
August 15, 2011
age 10+

My 11 Year Old's All Time Favorite Movie

This is my eleven year old daughter's "all-time favorite movie," and has been since she first saw it at age 8. It is truly unique among alien invasion movies because it's not really about the aliens at all, or their amazing technology, or their horrid plans for the planet - its about people, and about faith, and about how God never abandons us, even when we think He has, or even when we wish He would. Be warned, hereafter, there be spoilers. Graham Hess is a Pastor who has rejected his faith because of the pointless death of is wife, but who still has two kids to raise, both of whom have issues of their own. His son suffers from asthma - which both nearly kills him and saves his life before the movie is over, and his daughter has some obsession or phobia which results in her leaving glasses of unconsumed water all over the house because they're "contaminated." In the end, it's her phobia which may save them all. Tying it all together is Graham's brother, a washed up minor league baseball player known for both his monumental home-runs and his colossal strike-outs, who, in my opinion, provides far more strength both to Graham and his children than any of them realize. (Oh, and by the way, you'll never look at static interference on a baby monitor the same way again.) The movie does provide some genuinely scary moments and overall has a tense atmosphere which plays heavily on the fear of the unknown. Some of it might bother younger children (though I think the talk about the stabbed dog is overblown - and as I inferred above, it certainly didn't bother my daughter when she was 8), but for older children it's a powerful movie about love and faith - not losing it in the face of disaster, and re-finding it in the face of Grace.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 29 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Writer/producer/director M. Night Shyamalan's SIGNS is a story of a crisis of faith, a wise child, and something out there that is very, very disturbing but ultimately part of a pattern that supports and embraces all of us. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a recent widower who lives with his two children and his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) on a farm in Pennsylvania. He was a minister but lost his faith when his wife was killed. He wakes up one night with a sense of dread. His children are not in bed. He runs out into the cornfield and his children show him that the stalks have been bent into a mysterious pattern. It can't have been made by a machine, because the stalks are not broken. And it can't have been done by hand, because the shapes are too perfectly even. It turns out that the strange signs have appeared all over the world. Graham wants to believe that the shapes are a prank or a hoax. He cannot bear the thought that his family could be vulnerable to more injury or loss.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (29 ):
Kids say (121 ):

Signs is excellent but may be too intense for younger or more sensitive kids. Gibson is outstanding in a role that calls for subtlety, maturity, and a mixture of vulnerability and strength. The children, played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin, are just right. They act like smart kids who know what loss is and are scared but also tantalized by what is going on around them.

Shyamalan's use of the camera to tell the story is masterful. There is a moment when the screen goes completely black that will have viewers gasping. Shyamalan was clearly paying attention to Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg and has a few tricks of his own to contribute. His only mistake is in leaving too little to the imagination. Like his characters, he likes to have everything explained.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether they see patterns and purpose in what occurs around them and what it means to them. Where do people find their faith?

  • How was this movie suspenseful? How do music, camera angles, and sound effects heighten the tension? What if these elements weren't used to the degree that they were used in this movie? Would it be as intense?

  • This was a movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan, a director with his own distinct style. What are some aspects of his style? Who are some other directors with distinct filmmaking styles?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate