Gibson's Presence In Signs example essay topic

. A person on a walk waves at a passing vehicle. Only moments later, the driver of the truck falls asleep at the wheel and the passing pedestrian becomes pinned to a tree with only the truck holding their body together. Was the accident a pathetic coincidence, or simply an act of fate? The movie Signs manipulates the mind using suspense and fear forcing the audience to solve the debate between fate and coincidence.

Signs is a true masterpiece. The end of the world is here. The development of crop-signs popping up on every continent causes every television channel to cover the same story. The signs have occurred at such a rate that implies "either the most elaborate hoaxes ever created or basically, it's for real".

The entire planet tunes in as extraterrestrials plan an inevitable invasion. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) along with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), and two children Morgan an Bo (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin) represent an all-American family forced to face world destruction. The true hidden plot of the movie lies within Gibson himself. The death of Gibson's wife creates an internal struggle, causing Gibson to question his faith. The former reverend leaves the church, and vows "not to waste another moment on prayer".

The dynamic character Gibson plays overcomes his struggles and realizes "there are no coincidences". A movie becomes a blockbuster or a bust depending on the actors in the cast. A well known cast creates an unconscious favoritism over a movie filled with unknowns. Gibson is known as an excellent and successful actor from movies such as Braveheart and The Patriot.

Therefore, Gibson's presence in Signs causes a fan to have delight and excitement for the film. Phoenix is most notably remembered from the epic film, The Gladiator. The two names, Gibson and Phoenix, already give Signs a five-star rating. Actors of such fame could cover up a plot that is weak and underdeveloped. Luckily, the plot from Signs is even better than the cast. Signs kept me on the edge of my seat and left me wanting more.

Although the thought of aliens being detected by a baby monitor is a little extreme, the overall effect was incredible. The fantasy became as real to me as the life itself. M. Night Shyamalan created a situation of vast confusion and possible annihilation to subtly cue the audience of the hidden plot. The true plot is Gibson's inner conflict as he questions his faith. The hidden plot caused the audience to be pulled into the emotion and stress of the explicit situation. The degree of acting is vital to a movies success.

Acting that is too dramatic or dull turns a good script into an amateur B-minus film. The acting in Signs was laid back, and had the realism of dialogue unrehearsed. Gibson played the role of a single father and portrayed the stress of single parenthood in a manner I identified with. Gibson's cool and collectiveness served the theatrical situation well. However, Gibson perfected his character in the scene of the "last supper". Gibson's dramatic outburst was realistic to what a person would do in a time of unbearable stress.

Gibson does not provide the only good acting in the movie. Each actor fit the characters perfectly. Phoenix had a scene which showed his talent as well. With the extraterrestrials quickly planning an invasion, Phoenix explained to Gibson the worries of the children's obsession with the news. The humor of the scene was shown by Phoenix's own obsession by not removing his eyes from the television for the duration of the characters' conversation.

Gibson's children, Culkin and Breslin, brought many spectacular scenes to the movie. Culkin played a boy with sever asthma. As an asthmatic myself, I know the mishaps that go along with such a physical obstacle. Culkin played the role so well that I would believe Culkin to have asthma off screen. The final character of the movie was Breslin. Breslin's representation of little neurotic Bo was adorable.

Breslin was able to make my heart melt with almost every line. The body language Breslin used was amazing as well. "There are two types of people. Those that believe that everything happens for a reason... and those that think life is a game of chance... ".

(Gibson). The creative twist of emotions blends with suspense to conjoin and come a movie of eminent success. I was able to leave my living room and enter the fantastic world of movies. A truly good movie will not only entertain but play with the mind.

Signs is a miraculous film and caused me to ask myself if life is a game of fate or chance.

Bibliography

Signs. Dir. M. Night Shyamalan. Perf. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. DVD. Touchstone, 2002..