The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: Signs

written by M. Night Shyamalan

(based on a single theater viewing)


Signs is part-scifi, part-thriller and part-fantasy/horror, all of which work for me. But it also is part a drama of faith, which crashes big time because this storyline has the predictable simplicity of an episode of "Touched by an Angel." As a result, I consider this one of the more over-hyped movies of the year and a great disappointment. However, it does have textbook 3-act structure.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook
    • The protagonist bolts up out of his sleep. Something is wrong, either in the house, or outside. Something is wrong.
  2. Complication
    • Crop circles are formed in the corn field of our protagonist, a man of the cloth who quit religion when his wife was recently killed in an accident. Crop circles are appearing all around the world.
  3. Call to Action
    • The protagonist hears something in the corn field at night. He enters -- and gets the bejesus scared out of him. Something is out there!
  4. Act One Plot Point
    • Flying saucers are real. Alien ships, lights, are spotted over numerous cities around the world. Are they friend or foe?
  5. Midpoint Plot Point
    • They are foe. The protagonist and family board up their farmhouse and wait for the attack.
  6. Act Two Plot Point
    • After the aliens mysteriously leave, the all clear is given. But a stranded, wounded alien remains in the farmhouse and it captures the son, who is sick and needs his medicine.
  7. Climax and Resolution
    • The son is rescued. Can he be revived? Prayer does the trick. Are the aliens just regrouping and coming back or what? Good question.

Notes

Lots of good moments. But the total is less than the sum of its parts. They should have stuck with the entertainment and left the "significance" out of it.


MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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