CS Weekly Archive> DVD > 10/31/08

It's Just Not Happening

by danny munso

The Happening

M. Night Shyamalan (also directed)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Happening (a.k.a. Act V in The Continued Devolution of M. Night Shyamalan) is, simply put, probably the worst film that will see release this year. The fact that it comes less than a decade after Shyamalan's Oscar-nominated The Sixth Sense is completely unprecedented; it's hard to think of another filmmaker who fell so far, so quickly. In a plot that would make Ed Wood roll his eyes, The Happening follows the poorly written (and atrociously acted) characters of Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and Alma (Zooey Deschanel) as they try to escape a mysterious occurrence that has humans committing mass suicide. About halfway through, you get the customary Night "twist" where the audience is supposed to be surprised at the cause. You will indeed be shocked, but only because this whole film feels like a Zucker Brothers send-up of a Shyamalan movie. I have always been a closet admirer of Night's dialogue, even in his bad films (The Village for example), but there's nothing to like here, and the leads are so bland that you don't give a damn if they survive or not. If all of this sounds like I'm not recommending you see this film, nothing could be further from the truth. It is a must-view to see just how terrible a filmmaker and writer Shyamalan has become. It may not be "good," but it's certainly one of the more entertaining film-going experiences you'll have this year.

The Happening

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Rated R; 90 min.

$29.99

Buy it now




Danny Munso graduated from film school in 2004 and can currently be found on his computer working on one of his many half-written screenplays. Or, more likely, he's on the Internet checking the scores of his beloved Bay Area sports teams.

The Happening courtesy 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment