Overblown Outer Limits

Rating: 4/10 (8 July 2008)

Watching The Happening on the big screen tonight I had a feeling I was back in the Sixties looking at a souped up version of an Outer Limits episode that was given several million dollars to shoot. In fact maybe I ought to check their episode list.
The strangest terrorist attack on record takes place, starting in New York City's Central Park. People just go into slow motion, stop, become completely disoriented and then start killing themselves with the closest means at hand. One woman stabs herself in the neck with a spike, construction workers just start jumping off the buildings they work on, a policeman in Philadelphia takes out his service weapon and shoots himself and then others follow picking up his weapon to use.
All this is frightening stuff and when it starts spreading across the Middle Atlantic states, Philadelphia science teacher Mark Wahlberg picks up his wife Zooey Deschanel and leaves. Along the way they inherit young Ashlyn Sanchez from Wahlberg's colleague John Leguizamo.
M. Night Shaymalan usually does films with some spiritual meaning so I was surprised when he offered a scientific if far fetched explanation for what was happening. The plants on our planet have sped up the evolutionary process and now are emitting a disorienting gaseous toxin in the air. If that's the case the thing to do is head for the concrete however the Amtrak train taking Wahlberg and company away from Philadelphia let's them off in the woods between Philly and Harrisburg. I'm still trying to figure out why they didn't run into any Amish.
Science isn't Shaymalan's bag however and it shows. I don't think the concepts here were thought out at all. The ending you will find to be something of a surprise.
Best in the cast is Betty Buckley a strange hermit like woman who lives in the woods and offers some shelter for our travelers. But she's one strange bird as you'll discover.
The Happening was a major disappointment for me, I was expecting so much more and definitely something different.