rop circles appear in a Bucks Country, Pennsylvania farm belonging to Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a minister whose faith went south when he couldn’t save his pinned wife after a car wreck. Hess now lives quietly with sons Merrill (a fine Joaquin Phoenix) and Morgan (Rory Culkin). Cometh the circles. Some say pranks; others insist aliens.
At this point, director M. Night Shyamalan must choose between psychological thriller or Alien Boulevard. He picks the latter. Noises begin. Transmitters are jammed. Dogs misbehave. When crop circles start appearing elsewhere, CNN cuts out and Hess must protect his family from visiting demons. The gooey aliens are stand-ins for heathens who test the good minister. This schlock is viscous enough to transform suspense into giggling. Pity to squander a good mystery idea this way.
