The Plot
Something is happening -- first in New York's Central Park, then in other Northeastern cities from Boston to Philadelphia. Seemingly normal people are deciding to kill themselves. On the spot. In broad daylight. Violently. First, urban centers are affected, then smaller towns, then rural areas. Speculation arises as to what's causing the epidemic -- A terrorist attack? Government testing gone awry? -- but whatever the source, it's clear that the weapon of choice is an airborne toxin.
In Philadelphia, high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) has issues of his own to deal with. He fears that his marriage has become a one-way street and that his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), isn't in it for the long haul. They have to put that behind them, though, when there's a call to evacuate. Joined by Elliot's colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), the foursome hops a train aimed far, far away from the city, only to be cut off at every turn by outbreaks of violence.
The solution seems to be to head to rural areas with few people, and as a band of survivors begin a trek through the Pennsylvania farmland trying to find a haven, it becomes apparent that no place is safe from "the happening."
The End Product
Shyamalan might not want to be labeled as the new Alfred Hitchcock, but The Happening is very much The Birds for the 21st century -- that is, in content rather than in quality. An unexplained invisible pathogen is actually more terrifying than unexplained bird attacks, but while Shyamalan has a great basis for a terrifying film, it never fully develops. There are scenes of intense brilliance -- construction workers falling from a skyscraper en masse, tree trimmers hanging themselves with electrical cords -- but The Happening never gels as a whole.
The acting is the most obvious hindrance, something you risk when you hire Mark Wahlberg as your lead. Shyamalan must carry some blame, though, for not bringing out the best in his actors, including Zooey Deschanel, who appears dazed and confused for a large portion of the film.
Part of that might have to do with the script, which glances over character development in favor of the horror/suspense elements. We never get a sense of who the characters are and why they feel the way they do about each other, so it's hard to invest emotionally in their fate. Elliot and Alma's relationship forms the bulk of the B-story, yet their strife is ambiguous, with just a harmless lunch date with a coworker weighing on Alma's conscience. Their reconciliation is supposed to be a seminal moment in the movie, but it falls flat, deadening the tension built up by the surrounding chaos.
As with Shyamalan's less successful efforts, there's a framework for a great movie here. The scenes of infected people going into a trance and killing themselves in all manner of ways are both chilling and fascinating in their exploitation of our train-wreck spectatorship. Later, as the survivors make their way through the open grassy fields, you realize how frightening it could be to suspect that the next stiff breeze could carry your impending doom. The film's numerous shortcomings, however, never allow you to become immersed in the delicious paranoia.
The Skinny
- Acting: D- (Wahlberg is distractingly bad, and Deschanel acts like she has a nervous tick.)
- Direction: C (There are flashes of inspiration dampened by a cold detachment from the subject matter.)
- Script: C- (The intriguing concept could've been pushed further with more elaborate set pieces, and the character development is woefully inadequate.)
- Gore/Effects: B- (Solid R-rated gore and shocking moments, although the digital enhancement is off-putting in a couple of scenes.)
- Overall: C- (In a close race with Lady in the Water for Shyamalan's worst film. It's less convoluted than Lady, but it also has less heart.)
The Happening is directed by M. Night Shyamalan and is rated R for violent and disturbing images. It opens nationwide on Friday, June 13, 2008.
