Not yet a member ? Join now | Members log-in here | SmartTicket Cart (0)

DVD Sunday: The Happening

Shyamalan's tragically twistless thriller - By Rae, Jul 13, 08

M. Night Shyamalan's newest thriller, The Happening was anything but. Granted I'm not a fan of the scary movie – jumping out of my seat and nightmares are hardly my bag. But Shyamalan's films have always occupied a separate category in my mind – a departure from the typical "don't run upstairs" terror film and worth some uncomfortable suspense on account of enlightening twists at the end. However, The Happening did not deliver the goods to keep me happy with my 11rmb purchase. I could have found more entertaining uses for my time - like ironing my socks.

Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star in this flick as a newly wed couple on the rocks, forced to evacuate Philadelphia after a so-called terrorist attack releases a deadly toxin into the air. It's a no stretch role for Wahlberg who plays yet another reincarnation of the go-getter character. Deschanel, who you might remember from films such as Almost Famous (2000) and Elf (2003), assumes a doe-eyed maternal role when she's forced to care for a young girl while the couple braves the toxin-ridden landscape in search of survival. The film also features famed comedian and actor John Leguizamo in a supporting role, who failed to infuse some much-need comic relief into this movie.

The film begins with Wahlberg, a high school science teacher, lecturing about a strange phenomenon, pontificating on experimental procedure to teenagers. You'll really have to suspend disbelief to buy into Marky Mark as a wizened science teacher, but so be it. The plot thickens when news of a treacherous toxin forces him to leave school and flee the city with his wife and colleague (Leguizamo). The escape is interrupted only by shots of gruesome deaths, which lose shock value once you realize how and why everyone's dying. What transpires from there is not only predictable, it's downright annoying.

Surprisingly, absolutely nothing in this film "surprised" me. Every character dies in the same way. And the "why" is explained in the first 30 minutes – leaving you wondering, “no, that couldn't be it...this is only the beginning." But yes, it could be it and it is. By the time credits were rolling I was left sitting there disappointed, confused: "What?!...that's it? Where was the twist?" …Alas, The Happening was not so happening. Yeah, I was somewhat entertained (thinking at any moment some radical turn of events was going put me on the edge of my seat). But did I hang on to my seat's edge for a brilliant plot? No. Suspense? No. Creativity? No. And most of all, twists?...What twist?

Grade: C-/D+

Contact the Author Printable Version Email this Article

• Aug 11 » The Right Fit
• Jul 28 » New in Town?
• Jul 11 » Cheatin' Hearts
• Apr 26 » Get Your Hair Did
• Mar 26 » Strappin' One On

• » A Shanghai life extraordinary with Katya Sawyer
• » A Bund birthday with Ivette Morales
• » The weekend cure with Michael Ohlsson
• » Solid food with Sandy Lu
• » Bangin' around with the Willy