The Happening
This weekend I did something I always wanted to do concerning movies. That being seeing 2 movies in
a row. Sure, it's an expensive way to spend an afternoon, but there were a few movies we wanted to
see, so that's what we did (we being Erin and myself). The first one (a matinee) was 'the Happening'
the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, the second was 'the Incredible Hulk.' We'll get to the first one
first, and the second one later (tomorrow, maybe?).
'The Happening,' being an M. Night Shyamalan movie, followed the usual formula for one of his
movies - ie, there was a twist! The twist this time being in the name. Despite the fact that it was called
'The Happening,' nothing friggin' happened! Well, no - that's not really true. One thing happened.
And it continues to happen throughout the movie, and then it simply stops. It's set up like a mystery,
but it really isn't. All the things are figured out very early, and that's about where they stay (I won't say
what they are in case you are still planning on seeing it). On top of that, things got pretty damn
predictable. The last 10-15 minutes were entirely written in the heads of everyone in the theater before
they even got to it. The really bad thing is they even had the chance at a few points to add to the story
- to add some actual drama - but they summed up those plot points in (no exaggeration) about 2
minutes a piece and then completely abandoned them.
The acting, for the most part, was pretty good. However, that didn't make me care about any of the
characters at all. Same with the relationships - none seem to matter. Actually - there is one character (John Leguizamo)
with one relationship that seems genuine and significant, but then it doesn't pan out at all. But, it's not
really set up to be a major plot point, I think I was just looking for someone to like. Marky Mark
wasn't too bad, but he was just kinda "random guy who could be anybody at all."
There's really not too much else to review. You know the commercial preview for this one - the one
with Cameron from Ferris Bueller - where he explains what's happening? That's the movie. That's it.
Summed up in 25 seconds - that's all that happens. It has a kinda neat idea, but would have been
probably better spent on a TV special than an actual full-length movie. Maybe it could have been on
that 'Masters Of Horror' show on Scream, except it also wasn't scary at all. I dunno if it was
supposed to be? Was that also a twist?
1.5 / 5 - That's purely for the initial idea. Maybe if they added to it, they would have gotten
a higher mark.