Who’d have thought a movie that featured a child getting up for a glass of water, or a man sitting in a closet surrounded by coats, could result in two of the most terrifying scenes ever committed to celluloid. That’s exactly the case with this sci-fi thriller, which pits a down-on-their-luck family against the weight and might of an alien invasion.
Originally released in 2002, Signs stars Mel Gibson as former Episcopal priest Graham Hess, whose quiet life on a Pennsylvania farm is shattered when mysterious crop circles begin appearing across the globe and, as inexplicable events escalate into a worldwide alien invasion, Graham must protect his family while confronting a crisis of faith that has haunted him since the tragic death of his wife.
Signs has invaded the streaming charts again on Disney+ as younger viewers and re-watchers are heading back to the homestead to deal with the invaders. Alongside Gibson, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) as Merrill Hess, Graham’s younger brother and former minor league baseball player; Rory Culkin (Lords of Chaos) as Morgan Hess; Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) in her breakout role as Bo Hess; and Cherry Jones (Succession) as Officer Caroline Paski. The film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
How Successful Was ‘Signs’?
Signs was a massive commercial success when it was released, and continued Shyamalan’s hot streak after The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. It grossed over $408 million worldwide and became one of the highest grossing movies of 2002, off a budget of around $72 million, and critically, it remains one of his strongest efforts.
It holds a 75% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising its atmosphere, performances and relentless tension, while audiences were even more enthusiastic, helping cement the film’s reputation as a modern sci-fi horror classic. While discussions often tend to head straight to that infamous birthday party scene, Signs works because it neglects to show us anything until the very end and, rather than focusing on grand spectacle, the tension is racheted up through the sound, the camerawork, and even shadows or glimpses. In the following years, the movie has become regarded as one of the most nerve-shredding alien invasion films, and it’s well worth checking out again.
In the United States, Signs is currently streaming on Disney+. The film is also available to rent or purchase digitally through services including Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google TV.
