Signs

What's a summer movie season without a good alien invasion flick to go along with it? There have been a slew of them in recent years (like "Evolution," the "X-Files" feature and the "Men in Black" films), but none of them compare in sheer size and entertainment value to the big-budgeted, popcorn-minded extravaganza that was 1996's "Independence Day."

Now from writer-producer-director M. Night Shyamalan, the talented young master of suspense behind 1999's incredible "The Sixth Sense" and it's underrated follow-up "Unbreakable," comes a close encounter of a different kind. Rather than go for the overblown style of "Independence Day," Shyamalan instead relies on atmospheric tension to make "Signs" the spookiest nail-biter since last summer's "The Others." Unfortunately, it's also incredibly manipulative and heavy-handed, as he lays on the sentimentality so thick that you can't help but feel like your buttons are being pushed.

Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former reverend who lost his faith after a devastating accident six months ago. He still lives on his farm just outside Philadelphia with his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and two kids (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin), but when he wakes up one morning to find a mysterious crop circle in the middle of his cornfield, he shrugs it off as an elaborate hoax. In no time, similar circles and UFO sightings are reported all over the world, setting off a chain of events that will force Hess to re-examine his faith in order to save his family.

There's no doubt that Shyamalan is going for a cross between Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and even "Twilight Zone" mastermind Rod Serling, and for the most part, he pulls it off. He's an effective storyteller who takes his time building Hitchcockian suspense, he digs deep so you really get to know the characters, and he tugs at the heartstrings with top-notch performances (especially from his pint-sized actors). And let's not forget those Serling-type surprise endings, which have now become the director's trademark.

The problem is that Shyamalan's best intentions threaten to be his undoing. Despite knowing how to keep moviegoers at the edge of their seat, his pacing is slow at times, and he borders on being too pretentious and preachy. In addition, after head-slapping surprise endings in "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable," it's getting to the point where Shyamalan is trying to outdo himself with diminishing returns.

After back-to-back films with Bruce Willis, Shyamalan goes for a new lethal weapon in the form of Mel Gibson. With a powerfully understated performance that recalls similar turns from Tom Cruise in "Minority Report" and Tom Hanks in "Road to Perdition," Gibson is solid, emotional and commanding as the grieving father who is grappling with his faith. Complimenting him as his former ball player brother is Joaquin Phoenix, who does his best with a role that doesn't give him much to do except look scared all the time.

As for the kids, Rory Culkin (the young scene-stealer from 2000's "You Can Count on Me") is effective as Gibson's paranoid, asthmatic son, but he seems to know a little too much for someone his age. On the other hand, Abigail Breslin's (sister of Spencer Breslin from "Disney's the Kid") obsessive-compulsive, sweet-natured purity brings to mind the late Heather O'Rourke from the "Poltergeist" movies.

In movie magic, there's no better special effect than the imagination. To that extent, "Signs" is more effective the less you see. And while there's certainly a lot more humor than there was in Shyamalan's last two films, there are times when the humor becomes intrusive to the suspense. That said, Shyamalan is still one of the most consistently entertaining filmmakers working today, and all signs point to the most unique alien invasion movie to come along in years.