What's Happening

Rating: 5/10 (1 January 2019)

Bird Box: 5 out of 10: Sandra Bullock stars as a recently pregnant woman who with her sister find themselves in the midst of a worldwide catastrophe as seeing something causes most people to become suicidal and a few to become homicidal. So it's blindfolds for everyone for the rest of the movie.
The Good: I like Sandra Bullock, Heck everyone likes Sandra Bullock. She could do almost anything and people would still like her. (Cough marry an actual Nazi cough) I want to like this movie. There are some good bits in the film. The film is very well made and shot. The first half an hour of the film is very gripping and exciting. Like the Dawn of the Dead remake that opening bit carries a lot of goodwill throughout the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, like most dinner parties, as soon as John Malkovich shows up things start to go downhill.
The Bad: This is not John Malkovich's fault mind you. He is fine. He is, of course, playing himself. After all, it was his character that wanted to know why they just don't stay in the grocery store. This is supposed to make him the bad guy mind you but let's get real. In the event of some sort of apocalypse, your local Costco or Walmart are awfully good choices. Easy to defend, endless food supply and heck Walmart has shotguns and ammo. Malkovich is playing that most frustrating of characters, the bad guy that is clearly right.
The latter scenes simply seemed unbelievable to me. I am just not buying it. That was, in essence, the problem. The movie failed to get me to buy into the against all odd scenario and wasn't otherwise entertaining enough that I didn't care.
The Ugly: This movie is clearly supposed to be an allegory about Bullock's character being accidentally pregnant. Now for starters, Bullock is a strange choice to play this character. It is a bit unbelievable she wouldn't be at least a bit maternal and it is a bit more than unbelievable she could become accidentally pregnant. The allegory is clearly there somewhere but it never really coalesces.
And without the allegory working and with an oh come on second half you basically are left with a remake of that notorious 2008 Mark Wahlberg bomb The Happening. Now I confess I have never actually seen The Happening and I admit I am curious how it compares to this movie. I am a sucker for unknown force causes people to kill themselves or others films. Whether it is the excellent 28 Days films or the considerably less excellent Steven King's Maximum Overdrive I am there with popcorn in hand. This film seemed to be on the right track but it drifted horribly off course.
In conclusion: It is a well made film. Unfortunately, it is a well-made film about a woman wearing a blindfold hiding from leaves blown in the wind. I can't help but think if they went a more Lovecraftian route with the horror they would have been better off. To see such a horror will drive most men mad so avert your eyes is a lot more appealing than that grass nearby is swaying in the breeze so the invisible whatever is nearby. My wife liked the film more than I did and I have a feeling some people will buy in hook line and sinker. I, unfortunately, was not one of them.