The Happening (2008)

With his two last films (2004's The Village, 2006's Lady in the Water) widely considered failures, director M. Night Shyamalan despritly needed a success to break the streak. While early numbers for his most recent entry show it to have not been able to compete with The Hulk, I believe that The Happening will ultimately be regarded a success, though likely to do better business as a rental then theatrically. Here Shyamalan does not stray from the elements that have become his signature, a phanstamical story seen through the eyes of characters who provide counterpoint through some internal or relational crises, a strong sense of mood, and an eye for the dark and apocalyptic subtextes of the modern world, perhaps to obviously on the latter. However the film does show some progression by the film maker as the importance of ‘The Twist’ another Shyamalan signature, has decreased with each film subsequent to Signs (2002). Here the twist, if it can be called that, is tacitly reveled fairly early in the film, though the uber construction of the piece drops enough hints early on that an observant viewer, familiar with the directors style, should be able to pic up on the culprit within the first 15 minutes.

The movie is heavily influenced by two earlier and superior films, Hitchcock’s The Birds and Luis Bunuel’s The Exterminating Angel, so much so that to me the film can be summed up as largely a hybrid of the two. However Shyamalan’s lead character’s (here abely if not amazingly rendered by Mark Wahlburg and Zoey Daschenel)* prove as always sympathetic suragets and worthy traveling companions for the films succinct 90 minute running time. Though the piece starts out very strong with some memorable images, it largely reverts to Shyamalan’s old type less then half way through, with much of the ending being relatively weak. Non-the-less I found that the directors bug did manage to get under my skin and I want to see this movie again soon. I am left therefor with an oddly compelling 3 ½ out of 5.

* I thought the films best performance however was by a construction worker in an opening sequence of the picture. You’ll know it when you see it.