The Happening

June 13th, 2008 by James Cook | Source: The Moving Picture

In 1999 The Sixth Sense exploded into theaters, winning over audiences, critics and the box office. As a young filmmaker I don’t think there’s anything more you could ask for. The film went on to be nominated for six Oscars and made M. Night Shyamalan a household name. Almost ten years later Shyamalan is still a household name, but rarely do you hear Oscar nominated-director when he’s the topic of conversation. Most of the time he’s referred to as the guy who delivers the “twist” ending, a stigma I’m sure he doesn’t enjoy having.

It’s with that reputation that Shyamalan hasn’t been able to live up to the success of The Sixth Sense. His filmography has dwindled over the years, with Signs probably ranking as the closest he’s come to regaining the top. His latest, The Happening, sees the director returning to form, but unfortunately will probably still leave the majority of audiences disappointed.

An event is Happening, people are becoming victims of an unexplainable attack. The first sign is loss of speech, the second physical disorientation, and the last is fatal. Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) is a high school science teacher who’s right in the middle of everything. Along with his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and fellow teacher Julian (John Leguizamo), he’s leaves Philadelphia trying to avoid the attacks that are spreading though out the East coast, and also get to the bottom of everything.

Proving you don’t need a huge ensemble cast, flashy special effects, or extravagant action set pieces, Shyamalan’s The Happening takes the disaster movie genre and flips it on its head. Like most movies in this genre, people are fleeing cities and the film centers on a small group of people trying to survive, but in true Shyamalan fashion The Happening focuses on the suspense of the situation, rather than the spectacle - and it works.

I wouldn’t necessarily call my self a fan of Shyamalan, I, like most, have grown tired of his recent work. I’m usually sucked in when I hear about the concept, but the delivery always seems to let me down. I guess that’s why I wasn’t expecting a lot from his latest, and maybe why, when I walked out of the theater, I felt I had just seen his best film since The Sixth Sense. He seems to have grown as a filmmaker, which is why this movie probably won’t appeal to the masses who just want a movie from the “guy who does the twist”.

As The Happening plays out we begin to see what may be causing all the chaos, as characters bring to light different theories. The main theory, which you may or may not know yet depending on where you go spoiler fishing, is probably going to turn a lot of people off the film. Its one of those moments in a movie when something is introduced and you’re either with it or against it. I was with it and it paid off, as Shyamalan is able to really work within this problem. There are some genuinely scary and suspense moments that I haven’t seen from a film in quite sometime, regardless of how ridiculous the catalyst to everything might be. There also made great thanks to a fantastic score from James Newton Howard.

The films biggest weakness, and something I can’t really defend at times, is the acting. There are some scenes where Mark Wahlberg is just chewing up the scenery. Moments where I just don’t think he knew how to handle the material. Also like I said above the problem at hand can be a bit ridiculous, and there are some cheesy moments where people are running from the “threat” and it comes off as silly, and in some scenes laughable.

Overall, I was really impressed by The Happening and it’s good to see Shyamalan deliver a film that’s truly compelling, something he hasn’t managed in a few years.