A huge disappointment.

Rating: 3/10 (13 June 2008)

As a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan and someone who thought this was going to be his best film by a long shot, I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. The concept of an event occurring where people are dying and being evacuated and panicking with no one really knowing what the cause of it is certainly is an interesting one and Night manages to convey that aspect of the film very well. He gives the entire film a very ominous, eerie feel to it that few filmmakers could come close to achieving and I don't think anyone could do as well as he can. The film itself is pretty terrifying for the most part and (not to spoil anything) he somehow conjures up the ability to make the simple image of grass moving a very frightening experience.
That being said, the writing is where the film ultimately starts to unravel. The dialogue is some of the most laughable and unnatural stuff I've ever heard in a film. I was shocked to see such a talented filmmaker write so poorly. And with such terrible writing, the actors don't have a whole lot to work with. It seems like they knew the dialogue wasn't real, but still tried to force it out and it all feels really artificial. Even the simple idea of trying to make Mark Wahlberg say big words in an attempt to prove that his character really is a teacher ends up making me laugh. Wahlberg himself is slightly above average and while Zooey Deschanel delivers easily the worst performance of her career (a shame since I love her to death), it's in the supporting roles that the acting truly turns disastrous. As always with Night, he tries to use some sense of humor to ease the tension of the film and it falls completely flat. The humor in most of his films is pretty terrible, but usually there is someone like Joaquin Phoenix or Paul Giamatti there to miraculously pull it off. Wahlberg and Deschanel weren't as lucky and even they couldn't make the jokes feel like anything more than an embarrassment from an incredibly talented filmmaker.
A lot of scenes just appear to be jokes out of some sort of parody film...until you realize that Night is actually trying to be serious. An example: a group of five (Wahlberg, Deschanel, a friend's child and two douchebag high schoolers) are knocking on the door to a boarded up house, trying to get inside for some food for the child. After the people inside tell them to leave, the douchebag kids start trying to break the door and windows open to get in. The barrel of a gun sticks out the window and aims toward one of the kid's heads. And, I kid you not, Wahlberg moves in slow motion, screaming the kid's name, as he takes the bullet in the back of the head. It's ridiculous and a real shame knowing what it could have been.