The Happening
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rated: MA
Now screening


The phrase 'Written, directed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan' has become a bit of an ominous one, and certainly not for the right reasons. After a strong start with 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Unbreakable', Shyamalan's films have slid into a decline and, unfortunately, 'The Happening' is one more step in the wrong direction.

The premise is simple: people are being affected by some kind of bio-toxin that inhibits the parts of the brain which deal with self-preservation. The short version? People can't stop themselves from committing suicide. Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlburg), a high school science teacher, his odd wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) end up on the run from what appears to be terrorism (or is it?) along with friend Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter.

The admittedly intriguing premise, which is shown in action early on in one of the most striking scenes in the film - a bunch of construction workers throwing themselves off of a building site - is soon revealed to be not what anyone (except for maybe our heroic science teacher...) expects and, as they say, hijinks ensue.

Unfortunately this is a mess of a movie, coming across like a 50's paranoia thriller filtered through the cultural context of September 11 and climate change. The acting is all over the place, with the usually reliable Mark Wahlburg seemingly in a completely different film altogether as he struggles to deliver his ridiculous dialogue. Zooey Deschanel is certainly lovely to look at, but her character is too off-centre to like or connect to. The sole beacon of hope is the always good John Leguizamo, playing a rare 'nice guy' role that is over way too quickly. Thankfully, Shyamalan's own role has been reduced to a voiceover - a minor miracle considering his increasingly large ego in casting himself.

Likewise, the pacing is all over the place, with the film racing through the initial setup quite well before spending an inordinate amount of time showing people running around fields, staring vaguely into the middle distance trying to identify where their fear is coming from. There is a scene towards the end of the film in an isolated cottage with a strange elderly woman, which is strongly reminiscent of the Tim Robbins sequence in the recent 'War Of The Worlds' and, like that sequence, feels almost completely redundant. Also, like 'War Of The Worlds', 'The Happening' almost completely lacks a third act, instead simply dying off before an epilogue scene pops up which you will have seen coming approximately 90 minutes and 30 seconds prior.

The slight glimmer of hope comes in the form of some truly imaginative death scenes. Man getting arms eaten off by lions? Yep, this movie has it. It also has quite possibly the best 'cinematic death by lawnmower' of all time. If you're bored (which you will be after about 30 minutes) you can also keep your eyes peeled for some pretty appalling product placement. Unfortunately, 'death by lawnmower' doesn't justify seeing the rest of this mess. Avoid.

Patrick Lang