The Happening

You cannot go see an M. Night Shyamalan film expecting to see a typical movie. His films have a different flavor to them. When you get used to that idea, when you understand that this isn't a typical Hollywood-told story, you may begin to understand the genius that is Shyamalan.

How can I explain The Happening without giving anything away?
People begin to kill themselves in New York City. Authorities believe it to be a kind of terrorist attack.

You're then introduced to Mark Walhberg's character, Elliot Moore, is a high school science teacher. He's joined by his co-worker/friend Julian (John Leguizamo), Julian's daughter Jess, and Elliot's wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel).

The school where Elliot and Julian work decide to release the students when they hear of the attack. The main characters decide to take a train away from Philly. While on the train they hear of the attacks spreading throughout the Northeastern part of the United States.

There seems to be no way of escaping this event. Everywhere they go, people are killing themselves. How will anyone survive?

I'm a fan of Shyamalan's films. I enjoy his ability to tell a story. All of his films have a message to them and you'd have to be pretty slow not to catch on to what he's trying to say. And I have to tell you, it goes much deeper than "treat the earth with respect". People who jump on the bandwagon denouncing this movie as a global warming protest have simply missed the message.

Having enjoyed the film, there are a few things that really irked me. Many critics have panned the acting. I go back to what I said earlier, this is not your average film. Don't expect your macho/hero man type talk. But I did have a problem with Mark Wahlberg's character. Maybe it was because he's always around teenagers, but every line sounded like it came from a fifteen year old. It wasn't enough to ruin my experience, it was just a noticiable irk. Second came from Zooey Deschanal. If her character was written like that, than it was just a poor choice. If it was her level of acting...I hope to avoid her films. She was the worst of the small ensemble.

**Edit** Having thought about it for a while, I have come to the conclusion that the way they were acting: like children was part of the deeper meaning Shyamalan was trying to bring out. When you watch this movie, watch how childish these two "adults" act. And then see how they become real adults...**end edit**

John Leguizamo was fantastic, but when is he not? I wanted to see more of him. Maybe he should have been the main character and Walhberg his buddy.

This film is rated R and for very good reasons; Shyamalan keeps the camera on the suicide moments a second too long which create a serious feeling of dread. The other reason is because you see two teenage boys murdered with a shotgun. Anytime a minor is killed in a film, the ratings go deeper into R territory.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. Along with the sheer dread saturating the run time there were a couple "Shyamalan" moments of jump-out-of-your-seats scares.

It is rated R so be warned - and, like I said, if you see it, see it with your Shyamalan glasses on (look for the deeper meaning).