Pretty darned decent for its genre .....

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2008)

... if you can figure out its genre, that is! ;p I was expecting horror and was handed a sorta sci-fi comedy with The Happening. One moan from behind me in the theater was all that told me someone didn't appreciate just *one* of the so-called 'graphic' scenes. If you can call any of these scenes graphic ... which I don't. I've seen worse (*much* worse) on prime time television! The humor of this movie was obvious and there were many titters throughout the theater during many of the lighter scenes. The Happening was decently acted, decently presented, and my niece and I exited the theater giggling over having expected graphic horror.
Ain't no horror, folks! And as for the R rating the film was given, how about dropping it to a PG? It deserves it! :) You want 'graphic' and so intense you just can't seem to make it very far through a movie (if you're a 45+ woman as I am)? Try flipping the channel to 'Hamburger Hill' the next time it passes through TVland ... I haven't been able to get through that one *yet* as much as I may try. Or sit through 'Black Hawk Down' ... though that one is likely rated R for language as well as graphic war scenes. I *can* get through *that* one and watch it again and again as well as 'We Were Soldiers.' 'Apocalypse Now' is rather iffy ... depends upon my mood. LOL! And that's my opinion. Graphic blood and guts scenes in 'The Happening' are minimal. Humorous chit-chat outweighs it. We enjoyed it though could have waited for the DVD to come out instead of wanting the 'theater experience' ... enjoy it! :)