THE HAPPENING

The first stage is loss of speech, the second stage is physical disorientation and the final stage is bloody suicide. This is the result of a mysterious phenomenon that initially affects larger cities in the East Coast and creeps its way into smaller towns. A little group led by high school science teacher Elliot Moore tries to outrun this inexplicable event.

THE HAPPENING is the latest cinematic offering by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Actor Mark Wahlberg plays the protagonist (Elliot Moore), his wife (Alma) is played by Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo with many others makes up the supporting cast.

Film/cinema is a little over a hundred years old so needless to say everything that can be done has already been done. This medium of art has come full circle because audiences of today cannot be fooled by gimmicks. This is why it is critical for present day filmmakers to get back to basics and formulate that indestructible plot. Unfortunately M. Night feels that posing questions and creating an eerie atmosphere will suffice the lack of a conclusive storyline. From the theatrical trailer itself, I began to ponder as to what this happening may be.
(Spoiler Alert! Do not read any further if you have not seen the movie) Is it a terrorist attack, some kind of biological weapon, is it an airborne virus, is it aliens or is it the work of a bunch of pissed off elves and pixies? NO!!! It's just Mother 'freaking' Nature, that’s who. As I'm seated in the theatre watching the movie, I think to myself "Please let there be a good reason for all this." but to my horror the writer/director of THE SIXTH SENSE could only muster a ridiculously ordinary and obvious explanation for all the mayhem. The film is similar to Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS because the story revolves around a family on the run from a global killer. In fact, the interaction between Elliot Moore and the psychotic old lady (Mrs. Jones) is reminiscent of the interaction between Tom Cruise's and Tim Robbins' respective characters. Although in the real world Mother Nature is the cause of much destruction, it is certainly unconvincing to use it in a mystery/thriller movie.

The script is concise and to the point. It does not give anything away, but then again there isn't anything to give away. This is the first M. Night movie that contained absolutely no surprise twists.
Tak Fujimoto's cinematography fails to leave a visual mark. THE HAPPENING is a mixture of generic shots featuring forgettable locales. Compared to his previous collaborations with M. Night, namely THE SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS, Fujimoto could not create a unique mood through the camera lens on this endeavor.

All the actors contributed lackluster performances to an already uninspiring story. Mark Wahlberg proves that he is not leading man material, Deschanel gives an indifferent portrayal as the wife, Leguizamo is underused and his character's young daughter is probably the most undistinguished of all M. Night's child characters.

I have been a devoted fan of M. Night Shyamalan movies. I would go so far as to consider him a modern day Hitchcock. In fact I have enjoyed each and every film he has made since THE SIXTH SENSE and yes that includes his last film LADY IN THE WATER. But I have to admit his new movie is the first major flop on the resume.

The film is simply build-up after build-up of unexplained suicides and at the end all I got was a pathetic resolution. It's like getting a massage, only without the happy ending. M. Night needs to stop trying to replicate the feeling he gave audiences in his previous films and just stick to a solid story. Perhaps switching genres may get his creative juices flowing, or just direct a screenplay written by somebody else. Whatever it may be, M. Night Shyamalan's filmmaking is in desperate need of a reboot. I too suffered from loss of speech during the suicide scenes, I later felt physical disorientation when I realized that there was no reason to the madness and ultimately I contemplated suicide after recalling the money I spent for the cinema ticket.

Rating: 1 COCONUT

S. V. Fernando

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