M. Night Shyamalan is one incredibly polarizing figure in the world of movies. He burst onto the scene and has been making enemies ever since. It is nearly impossible for a director who hits a home run his first time out to ever recapture that (Yes, I know The Sixth Sense was not technically his first movie). What he created with that ghost tale was mesmerizing. The big reveal at the end was shocking, but not from out of nowhere if you go back and watch it. It is obvious it did not come from left field. I am going to now compare N. Night to Quinten Tarantino, but let me finish before you call me crazy. Both of these men hit a home run in their first movie. They both followed it up with very good second films and both had underrated third movies. Then they both went very very wrong. The Village and Lady in the Water gave M. Nigh two strikes; Kill Bill and Kill Bill part 2 gave Tarantino two strikes. When I see a director's career in a steady decline, I give them three strikes in a row. Once they get three in a row, I am done. Tarantino revived himself big time in my eyes with Death Proof and this was M. Night's shot.
Two Women are sitting on a park bench reading. One woman turns to the other and says she cannot remember where she was in the book. The two women laugh about it, but seconds later, there are screams in the distance; people start walking backwards and that same woman says again that she cannot remember where she was. She takes something out of her hair and punctures her neck with it, bleeding out. People throw themselves off of the roofs of buildings and a cop shoots himself, then others do the same with his gun. Cut to a science classroom in Philadelphia. Elliot Moore (Marky Mark) is curious as to why bees are disappearing but his class seems not to care at all. Moore is called out of his class and the teachers are all told "There is an event happening." Elliot gets his wife, Alma (Zooey "I have the bluest eyes, ever" Deschanal) his best friend, Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian's daughter, Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez) and they all get on a train. On the train they see news footage claiming a terrorist attack is happening in the North East; the train stops because they have lost contact. There they see footage of a guy in a lion's den in a zoo goading the lions to tear him to shreds. Julian has to go to Princeton to find his wife. Jess is left with Elliot and Alma. They meet a crazy couple who will give them a ride. The crazy man has a half cocked theory that the plants are the cause. Plants have been known to create toxins to kill enemies. More people kill themselves; people are killed by others; paranoia captures everyone. What is the cause? We never actually know nor do we ever really care.
There is a saying that goes "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me three times and I hope you die." M. Night Shymalan has struck out in a big way. The Happening is so preposterous, so stupid and so unintentionally funny, I thought I was back watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The Tone is incredibly wonky as it switches from hokey, to funny, to B-movie, to deadly serious and sometimes within the same scene. M. Night is totally unsure of what kind of movie he is making. Don't let the commercials fool you about this being M. Night's "First R rating" that does not make this a better movie. Inf act, this hinders him because when he actually shows what happens he always fails. Think about it, Signs was a very good, creepy movie until he actually showed the aliens. He works better in shadows, in hinting at things. The only hing hinted at here is a good movie. I think this could have been done well. There are flashes that reminded me why I like M. Night in the first place. I like the silence of the movie and the gorgeously haunting score, but it needed a better movie because there is nothing gorgeous or haunting here.
The minute the crazy guy starts talking about how the plants, grass and trees communicate with each other through wind, the entire audience was laughing. If M. Night wanted us to take it seriously, do not have the character with crazy eyes say that. DO not have the character who earlier said "Hot Dogs are underrated" tell us something that may be important. When Elliot realizes the man might be right, what happens? Yes, that is right, Marky Mark runs away from wind. Luckily the grass is so high we can see exactly where the wind is and just how fast it is blowing. Now, I am all for major movie stars running away from weather, hell Jake Gyllenhall runs away from cold like a freaking pro, but M. Night does not allow Marky Mark to win in this scene (don't worry it doesn't kill them because they are in a small group of people, therefore tricking the wind!) However, I refuse to believe wind is tougher to run away from than cold. Cold is all encompassing and wind needs speed to be fast. There is a lack of logic between The Happening and The Day after Tomorrow. These disaster directors need to get together on this! The green of the world is fighting back in a big way. Go green or end up turning a tractor on and laying under it as it tears you to pieces! I haven't even gotten to the crazy lady who lives alone in a house with nothing from the outside world. She invites the 3 travelers in, but smacks the little girl for trying to steal a cookie and accuses Marky Mark of trying to steal her creepy doll looking thing.
Movies do not get much worse than this. M. Night has created 3 god awful movies in a row and I wonder when the day comes where people argue over which one is worse. I still say The Village is worse mostly because I felt it telegraphed its twist; The Happening has no twist ending and no unexpected turn; it just continues to suck and suck and suck. There is one good scare and a few intentional laughs, like Marky Mark talking to a plant he realizes is plastic, but it does not redeem the sheer stupidity involved here.
Final Grade: F
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