The Happening
In this thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs), an environmental crisis emerges that threatens to wipe out all of mankind. When people begin dying, Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his estranged wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), try to escape the unstoppable destroyer. As chaos spreads across the entire planet, Elliot and Alma struggle to figure out what is happening. John Leguizamo co-stars as Elliot's friend Julian.
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What is everyone's deal with this movie? Almost every review I've read has been just horrible. Are my movie tastes that bad? I think that Shyamalan has a specific problem: he's having a hard time finding an audience that wants both a mind-bending brain-f**k of a movie as well as an incredibly graphic, violent movie. This one is just that... a murder mystery that keeps you guessing even past the end of the movie, and the kind of violence that actually made me cover my eyes (and that's saying something, I assure you). And judging by reviews and the reactions of the theater audience when I saw it, the two audiences are almost, for the vast majority, mutually exclusive. That being said, I liked the movie. There were two particular scenes that had me laughing out loud just because the tension was being broken so nicely, but the rest had me on the end of my proverbial seat. This is the kind of thriller I enjoy and I thought it was really nice to be seeing something *unique,* which The Happening certainly is.- Erica & Brad
Really?! This movie was just plain awful. The writing and dialog was inane and poorly delivered by all actors - even the ones who are usually very good. I thought I would at least like this movie a little because of the mysterious title and interesting plot. However, this was not the case. When they say that there is "an event happening that makes people want to kill themselves" - this is it because this movie it all of its utterly terrible glory makes you want to kill yourself. There were a few scenes that were good - a funny moment, some dramatic something or other - but not enough to save the movie.
- monkeyboy0076
This is just an opinion, but if you enjoyed the movie '28 Days Later', I think you'll love this film. My take on it? Mother Nature says 'Look, stop spewing so much hatred and negativity and get off of my cloud already!' Toxic terrorist attack bollocks! I think that the director was trying to say that nature is in a fine and balanced ecosystem and we (humans) systematically find ways to screw things up, much like a virus. Well, what if nature decided to fight back? You have love, peace, and balance in your heart? Ok, then you get to stay... But if all that drives you is fear, greed, and whatever else, then you need to go away. Again, this is just my interpretation, but seeing this movie through that lens, I thought it was a beautiful story that tried to steer you towards love, balance, and a zen lifestyle. Bravo!
- DUTCHMAN
Most negative reviews of this movie are essentially the same. People have an idea in their heads of what an M. Night Shyamalan film is and then are disappointed when the film doesn't match those expectations. What I like about M. Night's films is that he isn't afraid to experiment, to try new things, and avoid creating films that fit some template people have in their minds. With that said, I didn't think this was one of his best films but I liked it. It held my attention, was creepy, and interesting. There was no big bang finish, so crazy surprise twist at the end of the journey, but he wraps it up by leaving it unexplained. And he explains that. If you want something different and creepy, you'll probably like this if you keep an open mind. If you want predictable twists and turns and a big finish, you'll be disappointed.
- JamieW
I'm a fan of Shyamalan's talent, not an apologist for it. I thought The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were masterpieces, Signs was excellent, The Village was entertaining, and Lady in the Water was a mess. A tense, gorgeous mess, but a mess nonetheless. That's why I take exception to anyone that says Shyamalan has "lost it." If anything, it's a testament to his directing ability that I was even able to FINISH Lady in the Water. Which brings us to his latest: The Happening is, in a nutshell, a quiet, personal tale about the end of mankind. It does for the apocalypse what Signs did for invasions, as the events leading up to and after "the happening" are filtered through the eyes of a tiny group of people. You get little information other than the scraps they get through hearsay, news reports, or sheer (read: unlikely) deduction. The acts of violence in the film are not original or shocking, but again, Shyamalan's directing turns them into tense exercises. They feel arbitrarily sprinkled throughout the film, as if someone said, "nothing of consequence has happened in 15 minutes, let's have someone off themselves." This is a simple parable that would have made a taut episode of The outer Limits at 44 minutes -- at 90, you find Shyamalan reaching for redundant vignettes of violence, and narrative "did he just do that?" detours like the soon-to-be infamous heart-to-heart that Mark Wahlberg has with a Ficus tree. The acting is solid except for the usually-great Zooey Deschanel; I'm speechless as to what she was thinking when she "crafted" this incomprehensible performance. I look forward to Shyamalan's next film (and first adaptation), "Avatar", as I think it's time he put the pen down and get back to directing until he has another truly great story to tell. As it stands, this is by no means a "career-ending" film as some critics have said (it's about as good as The Village), but it will leave much of the audience scratching their heads and $10 poorer. Tepid 2.5 stars.
- Topaz420 in CA
Stupid. A classic example of a movie having a pretty good plot, but a terrible script. Lots of loose ends and moronic exposition. I was looking for a soft-ish thriller, something a little freaky but clever. It was neither. I'm tempted to spoil the plot just to vent about the stupidity, but i'll refrain. I usually like Wahlberg, i usually like Leguizamo, and I think Deschanel is cute. But none worked here, all felt fake and suffered from a bad script. As other reviewers have so aptly noted, Shyamalan pulled off one good movie, had a couple marginal followups, and then has produced a wide range of crap - hard to see how this guy keeps getting his movies made. Save your money.
- droidmaker
As an apparent airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern U.S., Elliot and his wife Alma struggle to stay alive and understand what is happening. As things become more chaotic, they find themselves with custody of Jess, a close friends daughter, who they promise to keep safe. Fighting the invisible virus by avoiding infected areas while also trying to avoid other people and figure out exactly what is happening keeps science teacher Elliot more than busy. This was a great concept from Shyamalan but the translation to big screen was horrible to say the least. Despite some big name actors there was less chemistry in this film than in a glass of water. Wahlberg was flat and one-dimensional, Deschanel came across as a bi-polar puppy having an identity crisis, and Leguizamo as a blue-collar family man just doesnt fly. Buckley however was scary as hell in her role and did a wonderful job! The plot concept was great but it didnt develop on-screen. The story took off with a bang and fell flat 2 feet from the starting line. It then turned into a pseudo zombie flick with end-of-world type aspirations which again just didnt work out. Even the ending was disappointing with basically a message of This Could Happen Again. There were some good CGI effects and some decent gore shots. Dialogue was lacking in several areas with characters not speaking when it was obvious there should have been speech. Soundtrack was flat as well. Sets were well done but not exceptional in any way. I expected much more from Shyamalan after Signs and The Village and was extremely disappointed with this film. I kept expecting something stunning to happen and it never did. Overall I felt this film was a waste of time. Post-movie debriefing with my viewing companion lasted less than a minute showing that there just wasnt any substance to this film. Preens and above should be fine watching this one despite some adult concepts and dramatic violence.
- DocsReviews
I can only assume that the actors were following Shyamalan's incredibly misguided direction; let's face it, there's only so much you can do with some of the worst dialogue ever put to script. This was just a horrible, embarrassing mess. Fortunately, I paid matinée price.
- kqu 672359
This one is getting a lot of bad reviews and likely it's from those looking for a traditional horror movie or twisty twist ending. This one is suspenseful from the beginning and stays that way throughout. It was an interesting premise and I'll keep on watching anything M. Night puts out but I hope his next one is better. 10/31/08
- Skorpean
The Happening is almost good. It begins with a bang but slowly disintegrates into a poorly executed, crudely acted mess of a film. Shyamalan needed a strong comeback, but just as he has done in his last several efforts, his imagination wrote a check that his pen couldn't cash. Perhaps he's not as good a writer as we all thought. It's tempting to declare that it's time for him to stop writing and begin directing material of others, but his directorial skills here do nothing to back that brilliant proclamation.
- Frank W
Not a bad movie... just not a very interesting plot. Was funny to see people off themselves though. It was worth the rent, but not M. Night's best.
- Hellnight138
There are too many scenes in this movie that I was left unsure about whether I should be laughing or not. It was an extremely awkward experience, very poorly written dialogue, forced uncomfortable acting vibes, this movie failed in all aspects of film making.
- Danny McVey
Hoping to avoid the weekend Incredible Hulk crowds I opted instead to go see M. Night Shyamalan's latest endeavor. Having read various reviews of The Happening I saw that opinions varied widely as usual for his movies. So I went in with an open mind and parked my disbelief at the door. After all, his stories are always pretty far-fetched. Aware of some complaints about the ending I decided to enjoy the journey and not worry too much about the destination. Now I don't know how much my attitude affected the outcome of my experience, but I really enjoyed this movie. Eerie, surrealistic, and mysterious, this is great storytelling and the cinematography is remarkable. I don't like all of Mr. Shyamalan's films, but I really liked The Sixth Sense and The Village, and now this one. I didn't care for Unbreakable, Signs, or Lady in the Water. If you liked some or all of his previous films there is a good chance you will like this one. Also I must mention that this is his funniest movie to date, with some unexpected and refreshing humor providing some welcome comic relief. Overall it was very enjoyable for me. I think you will enjoy it too as long as you have an idea of what you are getting into. Don't expect realism or something believable because that's not what you'll get without giving up a little logic and skepticism. If you can do that I think you will find this film to be well worth your while, as I did.
- couchdog53
Suddenly cities full of people are committing suicide. So Wahlberg heads to the country with his girlfriend and his young neice. But the killer (whatever it is) is right behind them. I'm a fan of Shyamalan, and he knows how to build a mystery, but he seems to have forgotten that a mystery is supposed to lead to clues and a resolution. There's neither here. Let's hope Shyamalan gets his groove back before his next film.
- GS Chicago
I am a huge Shyamalan fan and although this has gotten poor reviews from critics, I liked it well enough. It certainly wasn't groundbreaking like the Sixth Sense (1999) but in The Happening M. Night does what he does best... and that is build up the tension until it is nearly palpable and then cut the line. This leaves you with the frayed end of a story... the rest of it is out there somewhere, but he will only feed you what he wants when he wants. I left the theatre thinking that this wasn't the best story ever, but it was still a very satisfying end-of-the-world tale. Sorry folks, but M. Night still has it... remember he wrote, produced, and directed this! That alone is worth a star. 3 stars for the movie, 1 star for overall vision and execution. 4 stars and a creepy wind swept field.
- Freakin Meow
M. Night Shyamalan does it again. Unfortunately, he does it again like "Lady in the Water". A good cast with Marky Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deshanel, but the plot is lacking greatly. An airborne virus is making people kill themselves in north eastern United States. You can drive semis through some of the plotlines. Hmm...we know there is a airborne virus, lets let out school early and have everyone outside, hows that? Not good. Wahlberg was forced to have some pretty unfortunate scenes and they aren't performed very well. Shyamalan needs to colaborate with someone before production begins. He needs to team up with J.J. Abrams or something. Is there a twist? There is no twist. Maybe that's the twist.
- Cleve1212
M. Night Shyamalan WHAT where you thinking??? Don't get me wrong it's a great concept, and the message in the movie was quite clear. HOWEVER this movie lacks in MANY ways. The whole "out-run the wind thing" is a bit far fetched. Much like the movie "Signs" the end result is a let down and I found it hard to settle with. a fan of Walhburg and this movie illustrates why. Although it's not entirely his fault with a a script that came across like something a novice would write. All in all, it's just barely okay.
- *~*Sullivans*~*
Having "Very Long Wait" for this movie in my "Q", a coworker of mine got this movie and The Strangers yesterday and we all watched both at my house last night. I have liked most of M. Night's movies, but this one left me with more questions than answers. I felt like Mark Walberg was not the best choice for his role. I like him very much, but it wasn't his best work. In Central Park in New York, people suddeningly begin killing themselves. The "virus" sweeps through the Northeast and forces thousands to flee the area. All along the way, Walberg and his group are just slightly ahead of the terror. It was an interesting concept, but didn't translate that well to the big screen. 2.5 stars. 10/23/08
- frgodbeyjr
M. Night is changing. Shyamalan is smart to move away from his past in directing this movie, in more ways than one. For starters, he ditches the trick/surprise ending we've come to know and love from him. The ending isn't a real surprise here. Second, he goes for the R rating, but it isn't the goriest movie you've ever seen. The R just covers the profanity, and a few graphic scenes (Particularly people jumping from roofs). The movie is plotting, and quiet - it reminded me of the pacing of No Country for Old Men - but with more talking, and maybe a little less action. I really liked this because I can see that Night doesn't want to be pigeonholed, and by taking on a topic that should be in everyone's minds, he went straight for where it would affect us most. I think this is his best film yet... it gave me goosebumps.
- MCWHAMMER