Review by Peter Syslo
THE HAPPENING (2008) is the latest film from famed director M. Night Shyamalan. I will begin by saying that I am a fan of his films; SIGNS is definitely my favorite, followed by THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE (very underrated film). THE VILLAGE and LADY IN THE WATER were decent, as well, but they didn't 'knock my socks off' as much as the others did. In the case of THE HAPPENING, I thought that it was great… for being an incomplete film. Let me rephrase that – the first hour of the film (it is only around 90 min.) is suspenseful, mysterious, and based on an interesting sci-fi concept – great, right! Wrong. Loose ends are left loose, there is an 'oh c'mon' semi-political theme running underneath, and I was left with the feeling that the film was not done. To top it all off, the ending was a totally predictable, c***-tease which left me saying, 'that's it?!?' Well, let's try to find out what happened with THE HAPPENING.
THE HAPPENING is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, and Ashlyn Sanchez. The film also features a score by James Newton Howard (he scored SIGNS, etc.) and it is one of the highlights of the movie.
I will give a brief summary of THE HAPPENING so as not to give anything away. The story is about a series of occurrences, in cities in the northeastern part of the country ( New York , Philly, etc.). What happens is that people outside (all of a sudden) start saying strange things, stop moving, start walking backwards, and start committing suicide by any means available (guns, sharp objects, tall buildings, etc.). Everyone is highly alarmed by theses occurrences (which span one day, basically) and the first reaction is that they are terrorist attacks. A school teacher (Wahlberg), his wife (Deschanel), his co-worker (Leguizamo), and his co-workers daughter (Sanchez) make their way out of the city and head towards rural Pennsylvania . They try to find refuge, they strive to avoid further attacks, and they try to get to the bottom of things as they formulate theories as to what really is 'happening' (I couldn't resist - I had to pun on it again. Okay, it's out of my system).
I remember that this was billed as being M. Night's first R rated feature and I could see why, because the subject matter is a little dark for general audiences (mass suicide, terrorism). Also, he went for the gore this time, about which I have mixed feelings; the gore effects were excellent and memorable, but for some reason it seemed 'out-of-character' for M. Night. One of the bloodiest and most disturbing scenes was when people are watching a video of a man who killed himself by going into a lion's den, in a zoo. Both of his arms are torn off by the lions and you see it in real-time; pretty shocking stuff and incredible effects work, but it didn't seem to fit M. Night's style. Anyhow, the R-rating is appropriate for the film and he didn't go overboard with anything else like language, sex, etc.
Let's return to my main 'beef' with the film – it is only half of a movie! I enjoyed the first hour, it was M. Night's signature style of storytelling – which is masterful – you can't argue against that. Say what you will, the man is very talented and he knows how to spin a yarn. But, THE HAPPENING seemed like it was cut short; it was building and building and you are waiting for the irresistible twist or the climax of the film and then…it just fizzles out. It was frustrating; it was a cool premise, with his usual startles and scares and it really went nowhere in the end.
Another thing that sort of sabotaged the film was the acting. John Leguizamo gave the best performance as a teacher, who you are not sure if he is honest or deceitful. Ashlyn Sanchez also gave a pretty good performance as the daughter of Leguizamo's character; M. Night always has kids that give great performances and who aren't annoying (I can't stand to watch JURASSIC PARK or ALIENS because of the idiot kids - if I heard, 'Newt! Stay right there!' one more time, I think that I would have started eating the ALIENS VHS tape). Anyway, those two were the highlights of the cast. Not to be mean, but Wahlberg and Deschanel, especially, just seemed like they were in it for the paycheck. Honest to goodness, Deschanel seemed lik e she was daydreaming during most of the film and then suddenly she would snap back into reality realizing, 'oh, I have a line here'. Wahlberg was OK as the lead, but his delivery of dialogue just seemed to be insincere at times – I just didn't believe that he was that character. As for the supporting cast, they were all a bit 'off' too; the quirky townsfolk/fellow travelers were just a little 'corny' for this movie (although I could see that they were meant to be comic relief – in that case I understand).
Cutting to the chase: I was more than a little disappointed with THE HAPPENING. I did enjoy a portion of it and the premise for the film is good sci-fi, but the political underpinnings (you'll see what I mean, I can't 'spill the beans') were enough to make a person nauseous. I just don't like being lectured as I am trying to be entertained. Couple that with the fact that the film just ends abruptly (with no true climax, twist, or strong epilogue - this one was weak and predictable) and it really does feel like an unfinished film… or one that was hastily wrapped. If you like M. Night's other films, it would be worth seeing; it does display his style, even though the feel is a little different with the gore, etc. However, if you are not a fan of his films and especially if you don't like your movies hopping into bed with politics, the n it may be best to pass on THE HAPPENING. I give it a 4/10.