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The Happening (2008)

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Time Out rating

Average user rating

51 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

M Night Shyamalan’s mix of modern ecological fable and ’50s sci-fi paranoia is not a happening thing. At first, a great deal happens, then nothing much happens for quite some time, then something so underwhelming happens that one is left wondering, ‘Did that really just happen?’

Since the surprise success of ‘The Sixth Sense’, Shyamalan’s ambitious but increasingly frustrating films (‘Unbreakable’, ‘Signs’, ‘The Village’) have been all build-up and no pay-off. ‘The Happening’, likewise, has lots of clever cinematic sleight of hand but no actual magic trick.

Philadelphia high school teacher Elliott Moore (Mark Wahlberg) is quizzing his students about the mysterious disappearance of millions of honey bees, when reports start emerging of a possible terrorist attack on New York’s Central Park. Together with his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), fellow teacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian’s 8-year-old daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), Elliott flees the city on a train. But it stops at a tiny rural station: ‘We’ve lost contact,’ explains the guard. ‘With everyone.’

Vague, speculative news reports now suggest that an invisible, airborne ‘natural compound’ has induced mass suicides in densely populated areas. Does our ecological abuse of the planet have a nasty sting in the tail? Have plants instigated a targeted, coordinated attack on their number one enemy?

John Leguizamo suggests that Shyamalan’s ‘fanciful nightmares’ reflect the post-9/11 fear that something world-shattering might happen at any moment. Witness the shocking scene that echoes newsreel images of people jumping from the stricken Twin Towers. Sadly, for all his ill-focused Revenge of Nature eco-babble, Shyamalan lacks the courage of his apocalyptic convictions, so the film’s flabby (anti)climactic scenes are a virtual re-run of ‘Signs’, in which an external threat re-cements fragile familial bonds.

Author: Nigel Floyd 2008-02-26 14:55:56

Time Out London

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User reviews of this film

blib said...

Posted on Jul 27 2009 08:40 Absolutely awful, Zooey (Zooey???) couldn't act if her life depended on it. Hilarious scene with the lawnmower though. Mon Dieu!!

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geogiraffe said...

Posted on Feb 09 2009 11:57 This is the funniest film i have ever seen. Well worth paying for - i havent laughed so much in a long time. Did anyone else notice Mark Wahlberg's weird Michael Jackson paedo voice?

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johnny L said...

Posted on Dec 25 2008 02:02 i watched my cat squeeze out a turd that was more fun to watch than this film

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RockAndRoll said...

Posted on Nov 20 2008 16:49 Wow The Undead! 10 out of 10 for the most illogical and ill-based rant I've heard in a long time! I suppose you have evidence that this film will "create suicides"? Any actual facts and figures, or just your own paranoid delusions? An appalling film, although not for the reasons propounded by our aforementioned friend. Shyamalan is now officially living off the success of Sixth Sense. There is much hype of his movies prior to their release, with mysterious and enticing traliers, but oh so little substance to back it up. I watched this in the cinema with my girlfriend and we exchanged many bemused looks and uncomfortable smiles, punctuated with fits of laughter during the "tense" moments. So bad that it is actually mildly entertaining.

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The Undead said...

Posted on Nov 16 2008 15:16 I saw The Happening three nights ago and I was horrified that a film, which uses such well-known psychologically destructive scenarios, as mass suicide has actually been made for general release. Suicide creates suicidal tendencies amongst those who knew the suicides. The entire movie is merely a vehicle for demonstrations of suidces.
It seems that M.Night Shylaman was the director, writer, and producer and must therefore be awarded the ultimate responsibility for this horrific aberration. However it also appears that a sycophantic chorus of greedy invested has encouraged this without consideration for the consequences. 20th Century Fox extensive rewrite and Sam Mercer and Barry Mendelas, as producers must also take the blame for allowing this act of sociopathic irresponsibility.
In Bridgend, in South Wales where a real life suicide epidemic has the young people in its grip with 23 people aged between 15 and 30 committing suicide in little over a year. Not to mention al those who would use suicide as a weapon of murder. Perhaps you should consider the consequences of your self advancement and money making activities, that would be the course of a truly great artist of which The Happening has proven you are not.
Those responsible for this film should be made to put the profits from this to be spent on the victims of suicide that this will film will create, the family and friends and dependants on those who commit suicide and until those responsible withdraw this film and make amends I will never pay to see a film made by any of these people or corporations again. You are bad people s**t people, as this will encourage vulnerable mentally ill people to kill themselves. You are so awful hat you do not even deserve to be offended by my comments. You should expect legal action over this film in the future and I hope that they lock you up.
Yours in absolute contempt and disgust

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Ben and Ida said...

Posted on Oct 29 2008 23:09 Quite frankly THE worst film my girlfriend has ever chosen fro the rental shop. Unbelievably bad.

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Nobes said...

Posted on Sep 06 2008 22:07 Worst film I had ever seen. I thought about walking out but I thought theres gotta be something that is gonna make this good. Nope, nothing. On top of how horrible the acting was and the story line...did anyone else notice the microphone in like every short? Its hard to get into a movie when the microphone is above the actors head all the time! I give is a 1 too!

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MrMo said...

Posted on Jul 07 2008 09:56 A real pile of embarssing rubbish! This movie will cost M Night dearly. The fact that he appears to be the sole producer of this absurd journey into cinematic suicide might explain how it made it into the theatres. I can only warn you that this probably is the worst movie of 2008. Wooden performances from actors that probably fell under the spell of a charismatic director but in that case talentless; end up looking like a bunch of geeks/nerds/Aspergers/idiots trying to survive the devastating effects of a pathetic blow of the wind carrying chemicals released by naughty plants that have just had enough of the human threat. Shameful! And what's with the sound pole making its appearance every second scene. This was the most entertaining part of the movie though, peaking at the top of the screen, over M Wahlberg head, with fluff, without...
I don't usually take the time to share my opinion of a movie but I felt I had to warn as many cinema goers as possible. Complete and utter waste of time. Sad!

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Richy said...

Posted on Jul 03 2008 09:05 I was very dissapointed with this film. It started really well - the people falling off the buildings and the policeman sequence with the gun being passed on was really well done. In fact I think the 1st 40 mins was very well done - it couldn't keep that momentum up - I like the slow story telling - iIt makes the dramatic parts - action better - But it went nowhere - and the old lady part was nothing short of hilarious - I heard people laughing and I was trying to hold that back - and the main actress as stunning as she was kept pulling funny faces - I make some comedy and if this had been a spoof i would say it was brilliant - but it was meant to scare? I like films that scare without obvious in your face techniques - too many films gofor the obvious - but when the main actor started talking to plant - reasoning with it - I wa takeing notes for comedy short films - Then the old ladies in thegasmasks - what was he thinking the director. Then I saw the funny side and actually joined in and laughing is good for you . A poorly executed film - good idea. The only thing i don't undertsand is criticism of Signs and The Village which are very good films - well acted and thought provking - if people didn't like The Village etc WHY DID THEY GO AND SEE THIS - the reviews were bad - why not see soemthing else - which I recommend other people do - Indiana Jones film is excellently entertaining and is entertainment- this film was awful -

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shaz said...

Posted on Jul 02 2008 14:01 one of the worst films ive seen.it was that bad it was funny.there was no point to it.

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Jack said...

Posted on Jul 01 2008 12:02 Shyamalan needs to give up... seriously. The Village was similar in that little of any substance happens throughout the whole of the film. The Happening is one of those movies that blows all of its best bits in its trailer.... once you've seen that there is nothing else to see. The Happening represents an old fashioned execution of an old idea and add that to the wooden acting and poor (supposedly ominous and scary) scenes of wind blowing through the trees and bushes, this movie is a definite must-not-see. Don't let anyone fool you into believing there is anything good about it... there isn't.... the visuals are mediocre and the sound is uneventful.... all in all another Shyamalan failure.
P.S. Kelly (above) the actor....... you obviously don't need any English writing skills to be an actress then do you >8-0

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Louise said...

Posted on Jun 29 2008 16:49 Absolutely terrible! The only half decent part of the entire film was when the bodies began falling right at the start. I would only recommend you to watch it if ‘‘wind & plants’’ scare you! Very very disappointed!

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mattyman said...

Posted on Jun 28 2008 23:30 This was truly the most embarassing film i have ever had the misfortune to see... regardless of whether the concept was good, or was based on scientific fact, as some reviewers state, the acting was shockingly bad and the script was so poor... this is the only film i have ever had to leave during because i couldn't stop laughing, for all the wrong reasons. How it got to the stage of actually being released i'll never know!! Some people have suggested seeing it for its (hopefully) unintentional comedy value, but i wouldn't encourage anyone to waste either their time or money, plus they don't deserve our custom for such a poor end product. its such a shame as some of his earlier films were great. cinema has taken a big step backwards with this one.

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s said...

Posted on Jun 27 2008 15:28 was disturbing..but i liked the way it was taken...it did get a lil slow in the middle....good idea....i would say watch it once.

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Gavin said...

Posted on Jun 26 2008 09:08 Its a great idea, and the start to the film is superb, but then everything falls totally flat. I love film and was really looking forward to seeing this but was very disappointed. There were times during the middle part of the film that the audience was laughing at the film because it was so bad. Don't be fooled by the trailer, this is a really poor film.

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