The Happening (2008)

For months, this film was hyped up to be one of the big event films of the summer. Boasting a talented lead actor and a decent supporting crew, this was M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated film. After a pair of films that received lukewarm receptions, it seemed that Shyamalan was laying it all on the table. That could only be a good sign right?

A wave of suicidal behavior, beginning in Central Park, sweeps through New York City, causing mass hysteria. Soon enough, more major cities in the northeast are affected. Is it bio-terrorists? Chemical warfare? Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), a science teacher in Philadelphia, isn’t going to wait around to find out. He shuttles his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), along with his colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian’s daughter Jess onto a train headed for Harrisburg. He hopes that moving away from the urban center will eliminate their risk of exposure to whatever is killing people.

The train stops mid-route because all radio contact has been lost with both Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Julian hitches a ride headed for New Jersey to see if he can find his wife, who is stuck in Princeton. Elliot, Alma, Jess and the others find little time to relax as people start succumbing to the mysterious ailment. It seems nowhere is safe, forcing the trio and a few others to flee across suburban and rural landscapes in an attempt to stay one step ahead of certain death.

The mystery behind the killing phenomenon in The Happening is really quite good. In fact, the idea is brilliant- have people running from something they can’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell. Shymalan did wonders with delivering terror from unknown sources in the past, so I can see why he returned to this theme. The problem lies in the execution. When the only thing a film has going for it is its gorgeous scenery, you know there’s a problem.

Less than a week before the film premiered, M. Night Shyamalan stated in an interview that the film was an excellent B movie, which was his intent. This was probably news to the marketing department at 20th Century Fox, because they were putting out very serious-toned advertisements. Perhaps if it had been marketed as a B movie that shouldn’t be taken seriously, moviegoers would have responded more kindly. That strategy worked for Snakes on a Plane and the recent Piranha 3D but those films didn’t even take themselves seriously, let alone expect the audience to. The Happening sends out mixed signals that don’t mesh with the director’s prospective damage control comments.

The biggest disappointment is the reason for the killing phenomenon. Plants, which can evidently produce toxins to eliminate threats in more isolated environments (science, please!), gang up on the human race and unleash a wave of neurotoxins capable of mass extinction. This is proposed as a solution early on and is adopted pretty swiftly by Elliot, so I have no shame in revealing it here. Besides, if spoiling the cause prevents you from seeing this film, you can thank me later. This leads to a lot of ridiculous worried glances being cast towards any number of plants for much of the film.

Almost as disappointing as the chlorophyll-composed killers is the acting. Mark Wahlberg was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Departed, so his performance here boggles the mind. His delivery is like that of a hopeless wannabe not even fit for the Z-List of acting talent. Zooey Deschanel dispenses her typically vacant performance except this is not a film where that will work. It seems like she can only portray awkwardness, rather than fear and sadness. The chemistry between her and Wahlberg is paper thin at best, making it hard to buy into the rebuilding of their strained relationship.

There are also a lot of things that don’t make any sense. For instance, people take refuge inside homes and other buildings to escape the neurotoxins in the air. Correct me if I’m wrong, but won’t those neurotoxins find their way into the air ducts of that house? It’s not like the angel of death passing you by because there’s blood on your doorjamb. But hey, if an everyday household air filter can put the brakes on the end of the world, I’d like to buy some stock in whoever makes those things.

If the film had been played up for laughs rather than being unintentionally funny, I could buy into the B-movie bit. The Happening could have been an amusing romp through 50s and 60s era paranoia-film nostalgia. Too bad for everyone involved that the film starts out acting all serious and dramatic. You can’t put up that kind of front and then yell ‘psych!’

I’ve enjoyed all of M. Night Shyamalan’s films on some level up until now. It’s sad to see a once-bright star go dim but I’d like to think this is just a momentary flicker. In a few years M. Night will be back on top again, stunning us all.

RATING: 1.25 out of 5