The Happening [2008] | REVIEW

"What just happened?" was the question on most people's minds after they had a viewing of The Happening and no, they were not referring to the film's storyline. And they were not in a positive mood. The question was more like, "What the f**k was that all about?!" It's safe to say that M.Night Shyamalan's latest project turned out to be his worst so far, trailing a series of letdowns that came after Signs. Personally, I enjoyed The Village and had a really good time watching Lady In The Water. I'm not sure why these movies tanked so badly but I'm guessing a lot of moviegoers expect a lot from Mr.Shyamalan after the masterpiece that was The Sixth Sense.

This Flick Is About...
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In Central Park, New York City, people inexplicably begin committing mass suicide. First they become disoriented and motionless, before resorting to the most convenient means of killing themselves. Initially believed to be a bioterrorist attack, the pandemic quickly spreads across the northeastern United States. Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), a high school science teacher in Philadelphia, receives news of the pandemic at school and decides to leave the city by train with his estranged and well-nigh-unfaithful wife, Alma Moore (Zooey Deschanel). They are accompanied by his friend and fellow teacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and his eight-year-old daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez). The train abruptly stops in the small town of Filbert, Pennsylvania, after the crew mysteriously loses radio contact with civilization.
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I skipped The Happening in cinemas and decided to give it a go on DVD in spite of all the awful reviews I had heard from people who paid for tickets at the local theaters. I had nil expectations and decided to see just how badly M.Night screwed this one up. To my surprise, this flick isn't all that bad. In fact it's quite fun, but maybe that's because I expected next to nothing from it. Let's dwell.

I'm not a big fan of Mark Wahlberg. The man just puts me off. I've seen some of his interviews and he's kinda' like a big, pompous jerk. I think the role that best portrays him is his role from The Departed; arrogant, cocky, brash, and just your average dose of jackassism. Mark just comes off as a Matt Damon wannabe with some elements of John Cena in his tone of speech. Maybe because he's from Boston, too? He's always going on and on about how badass he is and how he loves bashin' heads just because he's from Boston. Come on! You're a grown man with kids and a wife and a decent family! Bashing heads in movies doesn't make you a badass! Jeez louise! John Cena, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg would make awesome brothers if they acted in the same flick; with Wahlberg being the a$$hole of the lot. The very fact that his brother is one of the New Kids On The Block just repulses me! Have you seen the new old New Kids On The Block? They're not friggin' kids anymore! They're all buff, bearded, and are a bunch of losers who dropped out of mainstream radio the day boybands died! And the fans that attend their 'make-a-quick-buck-reunion-concerts' are aunts and 45-year old women / virgins!

Anyway...back to Wahlberg. Yes, I don't like him, but I can't help but like his character in The Happening. It's a different Wahlberg in there. A better, calmer, more down-to-earth Wahlberg. And it's nice. It'd also be cool if he was like that in real life, so I wouldn't have to endure his "I like beating on people" interviews whenever I'm watching Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

While I liked The Happening to a large extent, I agree that it is probably M.Night's worst movie to date. I'm a big fan of his and I like the way he makes his films but there's just something that doesn't click with The Happening. The acting? The way it's shot? I don't know. It comes off as a very amateurish project; something that would have made bank if it was Shyamalan's first attempt to break into mainstream Hollywood. The story isn't too bad. It's thrilling and keeps you wondering, but it isn't frightening enough is most cases. The idea behind the film is scary, yes. The thought of an event like this really happening (no pun intended) sends shivers down my spine but the film itself isn't so fear-inducing. There's a lot more gore compared to M.Night's previous projects (it is his first R-rated project), and more so since I checked out the Unrated Edition on DVD. But overall, there's nothing too great about The Happening.

I don't know if it's just me, but I find the acting in The Happening very awkward. I'm not sure if it's that or the way the shots are composed or even if I should call it unique, but the whole movie moves forward in a very odd manner. The acting is supposedly very natural but to me it seems too rehearsed, or too pushed. Some scenes were a tad corny and some were just blatantly, what's the word for it, weird. Maybe M.Night composed those scenes as such on purpose. Maybe not. It doesn't really harm the movie in any way because at times it seems very realistic, but at times also just comes off as awkward and not how someone would react or respond to a certain event.

On another note, Zooey Deschanel is adorable!

The soundtrack for The Happening is something I really love. It's amazing how it compliments the visuals. The tunes are more symphonic and melodic, all played in low key to give it that depressing feel. It creates an aura of tragedy and sadness throughout the movie. It's awesome.

There's isn't much more to say about The Happening other than the fact that M.Night could have done better. He's taking a step away from his safezone with Avatar, which seems promising enough. Hopefully M.Night sees more happy faces with that one. He's also producing six or seven horror-based mini-movies (I think that's what they're called) called The Night Series. All movies supposedly interlock with one another in some way and will be directed by different directors. It looks like M.Night is going the Stephen King / Spielberg way with this approach.
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Wrap : I give The Happening a 3.0 out of 5.0. It isn't as bad as most people claimed and it definitely didn't suck balls or whatever. There's a good basis to the story, some frights here and there, and somewhat realistic / unique / odd / experimental acting in a lot of scenes. The soundtrack was good, visuals were decent. The Happening is a disturbing take on what the apocalypse may be and makes for a fun popcorn flick for a Friday night at home.

P.S : The tagline for this movie reads, "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now...It's Happening."

How corny is that, eh?