The Happening

M. Night Shyamalan, who I still remember was being called a box office hero for his early run of movies, has become such a toxic name that movie studios now intentionally hide his involvement in movies he directed.  While that does raise questions about how he continues to get work when there are so many young directors trying to get into the business, lets take a look at the film that was the effective ringing bell for the end of his career.


The Happening is one of the funniest films I can recall seeing.  Some of the moments in this film are so out-there and idiotic that laugh is really the only thing you can do.  From Marky Marks hilarious "wait, I'm thinking" scene as people over a hill shoot themselves to the criminally underused John Leguizamo shocked reaction at corpses that should have been visible from a good distance before he reacts to them, it's an object lesson in how not to make a film that deserves to rank up with Plan 9 from Outer Space.

The first five or ten minutes, before any of the main characters show up manage to be somewhat atmospheric.  People simply spontaneously begin to kill themselves.  Before anything has been explained, you can't help but think this could be a decent premise for a movie.

Then, the more you watch, the more you realise you're on a direct train to moron town.

Marky Mark plays the worlds worst scientist (he spends a good proportion of his opening scene arguing that some things simply happen and there's no way to explain them, in a scene that probably had actual biology teachers squirming in their seats) who has to fight to survive when plants start to release a neurotoxin (no) that flips a "survival switch" (also no) in peoples brains which causes them to kill themselves (what?)

Zoey Deschanel is even more wooden than usual, although it's easy to understand why she would be bored out of her skin being in a relationship with Marky Mark.  Leguizamo plays their best friend and is apparently the only person who thought it would be worth putting any actual effort into the film, until he arbitrarily walks out of the film to die in yet another stupid scene, abandoning his daughter to stay with our plywood lead actors.

And it just keeps getting worse from there.  Ok, so let's say this survival switch exists.  It doesn't.  But fine, lets say it does.  Why does it make people instantly kill themselves?  Surely the logical way to handle it would be to show anyone infected with the toxin to take insane risks?  But fine, let's say it makes them kill themselves, why would the choose the ridiculous methods the film has them take?

One man lays down in front of a ride on mower in the films funniest scene.

An old woman smashes every window in her house by headbutting them from outside.  Why?  Oh right, so you can force the cast into the incredibly obviously foreshadowed setting for the finale.

And of course, in the end, love conquers all and mankind decides it must live in harmony with the plants, as if an event like this wouldn't result in the most massive deforestation attempt ever attempted.  Oh except there's an or is it ending where it starts happening again in france.  You know, one of the most environmental nations in the country.

The Happening is the kind of movie that should kill careers.  Everyone in it is awful.  Even people who are capable of much much better are terrible here.  Yet, Shyamalan continues to have a career, bringing us awful nonsense like After Earth.

I just don't understand you Hollywood.  You're so terrified of hiring anyone new, you keep giving people like this work.  I just don't understand you at all.

Posted in: m night shyamalan, mark Wahlberg, Movie, Movie Review, the happening, Zoey Deschanel