As bad as the critics say

Rating: 1/10 (14 June 2008)

*SPOILERS* ahead First let me say...frankly I think if you go into The Happening expecting a couple of scenes where you will be subjected to something gory or the suggestion that something gory will happen shortly, and that is all you are looking for, I think you may like this movie. But otherwise, No.
Hilariously everyone slammed Lady in the Water, but I think that it has more merit as a complete movie and was at least watchable. Lady in the Water suffered because really it should have been more dolled up and sold as a kids' movie.
The premise of The Happening is that the plants in the Northeastern U.S. begin emitting toxins which cause people to harm and eventually kill themselves. It begins in the cities (where the largest populations are) and then finally spreads out to essentially the middle of nowhere. The premise could be promising but the movie is ruined by poor writing and a terrible attempt at a romantic subplot. The movie would have been more satisfying had Zoe Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg's characters killed themselves as well, so great was my apathy towards their relationship. The only character I had any empathy for was the little girl.
Someone on this site praised the Roger Ebert review of this movie, and man, I just didn't see the movie that Ebert saw. If M. Night Shyamalan wanted a character study set in an apocalyptic world where the plants are out to get us, then give us some decent characters. Don't give me people in a café watching on their video phone as someone at the Zoo feeds themselves to the lions or a young military kid chanting, "this is my rifle..." before shooting himself in the head.
Save your ten from your admission and go rent a Hitchcock. Shyamalan does an excellent job with his sets, but this one missed everything else. Basically from the moment we're introduced to the Wahlberg character I began my very own chant in the theater, "this is soooo bad..."