After Earth

ohkcrlho

Silver Baronet of the Realm
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So if you ignore A super intelligent alien species that traveled so many light years

1. Dumb enough to attack a planet with no protection that is covered in 70% water and are completely screwed if it rains
this.....
 

Grimmlokk

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Totally valid to shit on it's massive plotholes. But if you were sitting there the first time you watched it and just fuming as you wrote that stuff down in your sweat-wrinkled notepad it's a problem with you. The movie was not great, but it was well-shot and had atmosphere for days. Once it's over you obviously shake your head and say "fucking water?", but while watching it's not like it's impossible to like. If you can get over yourself for a movie about WW2 vets tokyo drifting a battleship you can probably get over the stupid plotholes in Signs long enough to enjoy it one time.

I do get going in with different expectations though.
 

Dyvim

Bronze Knight of the Realm
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Well i think the cinematography and actors were quite good in Signs and the premise of the script (not the awful ending ofc) was still oki too. But the huge giant fuck a mole plot hole really ruins the good trip in the very end and leaves most with a 'did not deliver' feeling.
 

The Ancient_sl

shitlord
7,386
16
Exactly, if you're not in full internet virgin nitpicky Trekkie fag mode you can enjoy it. Glad we agree!
Is this a joke?

Holy shit dude, just because people recognized an enormous amount of stupidity on their first viewing of the film doesn't mean they were being nitpicky, the shit was obvious and obnoxious just like Prometheus. You sound like Araysar.
 

Grimmlokk

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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You jumped a little bit at this part.

signs-alien-o.gif


And it's certainly not because it's some terrifying action, just did a great job setting it up with the atmosphere and pacing.

Shit like that is why there's still that one little grain of sand in my brain that thinks "Maybe this is the time M Night doesn't screw the pooch royally!".

Unfortunately he only seems to give a shit when making his own movies. Some badass screenwriter needs to lock him in and find a way to keep him motivated and he could make some truly great movies.

Is this a joke?
Mostly.
 

The Ancient_sl

shitlord
7,386
16
You jumped a little bit at this part.

signs-alien-o.gif


And it's certainly not because it's some terrifying action, just did a great job setting it up with the atmosphere and pacing.

Shit like that is why there's still that one little grain of sand in my brain that thinks "Maybe this is the time M Night doesn't screw the pooch royally!".

Unfortunately he only seems to give a shit when making his own movies. Some badass screenwriter needs to lock him in and find a way to keep him motivated and he could make some truly great movies.



Mostly.
I totally jumped at that part. Then I jumped later to boo at the screen at the heavy handedness of the final message and the stupidity the entire movie ended up providing.
 

Dis

Confirmed Male
748
45
So if you ignore A super intelligent alien species that traveled so many light years

1. Dumb enough to attack a planet with no protection that is covered in 70% water and are completely screwed if it rains
2. Best weapon is a powder that comes out of the wrist
3. Can jump over houses but are completly fucked if you put them in a pantry
4. Has traveled all this way and has invisible spaceships but their mapping system is to make signs out of crops

Pretty sure theres much more bullshit in that movie but I thought the twist was it was a group of aliens suffering from downs that like to crash birthday parties
This, but #3 is funny because it is true
 

Cantatus

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Shyamalan's problem is that he just got too successful, too fast. AfterThe Sixth Sense(his first wide-release movie), he never had any time for his ego to catch up before studios were throwing money at him. That just resulted in him believing he's some genius writer and director and producer and actor, which is why we ended up withLady in the Water- the closest Shyamalan will get to sucking himself off without hurting his back.

Perhaps a string of failures will do him some good, because I don't think he yet realizes what a joke he's become since he's still writing and directing and producing rather than focusing on one or the other. (I'm surprised he didn't include a role for himself inAfter Earth, perhaps he could have if the Usra sensed disappointment rather than fear.)The Last Airbenderlikely would've been better if he left the writing and producing to someone else and just did the directing.

Well i think the cinematography and actors were quite good in Signs and the premise of the script (not the awful ending ofc) was still oki too. But the huge giant fuck a mole plot hole really ruins the good trip in the very end and leaves most with a 'did not deliver' feeling.
I likedSignsfor what it was. It was sort of an existentialWar of the Worlds. He just replaced the twist of germs killing the aliens with water, which tied into the idea that everything happens for a reason. Not that the movie was the best I've ever seen, but probably the last of his movies that I'd consider decent.
 

ohkcrlho

Silver Baronet of the Realm
6,906
8,941
You jumped a little bit at this part.

signs-alien-o.gif


And it's certainly not because it's some terrifying action, just did a great job setting it up with the atmosphere and pacing.
yup...totally jumped there.it was a very well done scene.
but i think the problem with Shamadsgvsgrsgr is the ending.he likes so much to do some big twist at the end, he totally forgets the rest of the movie.
yes i thought "water?our fucking planet is full of water!" :\
like "the village",until the end was going so well.....
 

Szlia

Member
6,573
1,329
Technically, Signs cannot have plot holes since the whole message of the movie is "god works in mysterious ways." The fact that it is the single most retarded point you can make in a work of fiction is another debate.
 

Grimmlokk

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
12,190
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yup...totally jumped there.it was a very well done scene.
but i think the problem with Shamadsgvsgrsgr is the ending.he likes so much to do some big twist at the end, he totally forgets the rest of the movie.
yes i thought "water?our fucking planet is full of water!" :\
like "the village",until the end was going so well.....
Why I said he needs a great screenwriter kicking him in the ass. If he was directing something he didn't create he could, in theory, focus on making it great and not on whatever retarded story elements he came up with himself.
 

Grimmlokk

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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So I'm browsing through the fan theories subreddit and someone linked to this one for Signs. Makes it make more sense...sad how many movies and shows need fans to make shit up to do that.

Spoilered for length.

SIGNS FAN THEORY Let's skip the M. Night hatred for a moment. I, too, think he's become something of a joke. But he HAS made a number of worthwhile movies, and this is one I initially couldn't stand, thinking it was full of ridiculous plot-holes. And then.EUREKA!

When I first saw this film, I didn't realize that it wasn't about aliens at all. It's about the return of demons. Notice it's all about a priest's resurgence of belief, and a preordained moment of redemption-if-dared-and-attempted. There is no alien technology or weaponry or clothing of any kind, only a clawed, naked beast creature and lights in the sky.

Furthermore: The running joke throughout the movie is that people see these "invaders" in a way that's related to their particular frame of mind: The cop sees them as prankster kids, the bookstore owners see them as "a hoax to sell commercials," the Army recruitment officer sees them as invading military, the kids see them as UFOs.and the priest sees them as test of faith. This understanding of the film removed my hatred of the "You've got to be kidding me; they were killed by WATER!" concept. In fact, the priest's daughter had been referred to as "holy" (as revealed during Mel's key monologue)-recognized by all who saw her at her birth as "an Angel;" and her quite particular relationship to water is shown to be very special and spiritual: In other words, she has placed vials of what are, essentially, HOLY WATER all around the house. (And the creature's reaction when coming in contact with this blessed liquid is EXACTLY like monsters/vampires being splashed by spiritual "acid.")

This view of the movie also explains the creature's actions: They act like superior tricksters, are not able to break in through closed doors, can be trapped behind simple wooden latches -all mythological elements of demons and vampire-like creatures of lore. It also explains the news over the radio at the end of the movie that an ancient method of killing the creatures has been found "in three small cities in the Middle East" -one would suspect the religious "hubs" of the three main Abrahamic traditions, each discovering the "mystic methods" of protection-and-dispatch that I've noted earlier.

Note also: All the Christian iconography throughout the movie, the references to "Signs and Wonders" (the true meaning of the title), the crucifix shapes hinted-at everywhere (check out the overhead shot, looking down on the street driving into town) and the ultimate fact that the entire movie is built around a Priest rediscovering he is not abandoned to a random, Godless, scientifically-oriented Universe but, rather, is part of a predicted and dreamed-of plan.

Now -these creatures may for all intents and purposes be some sort of extraterrestrial or inter-dimensional "aliens" -but the point of the movie seems to be that they are, in the ACTUALITY OF THE FILM WORLD, the dark stuff from which all the character's tales of devils and night-creatures were born.
 

Jovec

?
746
292
So I'm browsing through the fan theories subreddit and someone linked to this one for Signs. Makes it make more sense...sad how many movies and shows need fans to make shit up to do that.

Spoilered for length.

SIGNS FAN THEORY Let's skip the M. Night hatred for a moment. I, too, think he's become something of a joke. But he HAS made a number of worthwhile movies, and this is one I initially couldn't stand, thinking it was full of ridiculous plot-holes. And then.EUREKA!

When I first saw this film, I didn't realize that it wasn't about aliens at all. It's about the return of demons. Notice it's all about a priest's resurgence of belief, and a preordained moment of redemption-if-dared-and-attempted. There is no alien technology or weaponry or clothing of any kind, only a clawed, naked beast creature and lights in the sky.

Furthermore: The running joke throughout the movie is that people see these "invaders" in a way that's related to their particular frame of mind: The cop sees them as prankster kids, the bookstore owners see them as "a hoax to sell commercials," the Army recruitment officer sees them as invading military, the kids see them as UFOs.and the priest sees them as test of faith. This understanding of the film removed my hatred of the "You've got to be kidding me; they were killed by WATER!" concept. In fact, the priest's daughter had been referred to as "holy" (as revealed during Mel's key monologue)-recognized by all who saw her at her birth as "an Angel;" and her quite particular relationship to water is shown to be very special and spiritual: In other words, she has placed vials of what are, essentially, HOLY WATER all around the house. (And the creature's reaction when coming in contact with this blessed liquid is EXACTLY like monsters/vampires being splashed by spiritual "acid.")

This view of the movie also explains the creature's actions: They act like superior tricksters, are not able to break in through closed doors, can be trapped behind simple wooden latches -all mythological elements of demons and vampire-like creatures of lore. It also explains the news over the radio at the end of the movie that an ancient method of killing the creatures has been found "in three small cities in the Middle East" -one would suspect the religious "hubs" of the three main Abrahamic traditions, each discovering the "mystic methods" of protection-and-dispatch that I've noted earlier.

Note also: All the Christian iconography throughout the movie, the references to "Signs and Wonders" (the true meaning of the title), the crucifix shapes hinted-at everywhere (check out the overhead shot, looking down on the street driving into town) and the ultimate fact that the entire movie is built around a Priest rediscovering he is not abandoned to a random, Godless, scientifically-oriented Universe but, rather, is part of a predicted and dreamed-of plan.

Now -these creatures may for all intents and purposes be some sort of extraterrestrial or inter-dimensional "aliens" -but the point of the movie seems to be that they are, in the ACTUALITY OF THE FILM WORLD, the dark stuff from which all the character's tales of devils and night-creatures were born.
Shit like this talks a good game, but then you have to believe that Shyamalamadingdong was actually thinking along these lines instead of "aliens with a twist! (of water)." The latter just seems more believable to me, especially when you factor in his body of work.
 

Caliane

Avatar of War Slayer
14,626
10,140
oh, no. hes right. Its just poorly conveyed in the movie. the religious symbolism, and yeah, its holy water. or water in general is holy. a bit vague on that part.