>Will Mel Gibson play it straight or will it be a hokey docu-comedy with crop circles playing the center field?

Mel Gibson always plays it straight, but the director is known for his horror movies, so don't lose any sleep that you're going to see the real thing. It won't be a comedy either, except for the fact that people will pay real money to see this trashy film, and then be propagandized to believe that the phenomena is evil.
They did the same thing with Travis Walton's story in "Fire in the Sky"......another trashy sci-fi horror/thriller. The directors are living high on the hog by exploiting others' fears.

"Fire in the Sky" was kept to all the facts meticulously UNTIL Travis Walton is "abducted", then the catacombs, long needle nose probes and the evil aliens come out. There is NOTHING like that in Travis' own biography, which he illustrated in his book, under the title of the same name. However, people are lazy to investigate anything themselves, so what they see on TV or the movies, is what stays in their brains. A pity.
Some people have no real brains at all.

As for "Signs", one of my best friends was consulted for the specifics of the genuine phenomena of crop circles for the movie.....and he is mighty disappointed with the outcome. He should know, as he has the world's largest data base on crop circles and is respected among scientists and researchers alike.

Funny how most people will spend $6 on a movie, and come away thinking they know something about crop circles. This director is cashing in one of the greatest mysteries in our present time. Only a few circles are the genuine article, the rest are man-made.
However, this director is known for his Freddy Kruger movies, so take your wonder elsewhere.
You won't be enamored with this movie.