It really IS as terrible as you've heard...

Rating: 1/10 (1 December 2008)

The Sixth Sense was a decent enough movie. Unbreakable is probably the only M. Night film I ever really got into. Beyond that I think this guy is a terrible, terrible filmmaker. And the worse his movies get, the louder his fans seem to think they need to be in their support of him. And for some, it's not enough that they like his movies. They also have to point out that the anyone that doesn't is WRONG.
Well, you know what? It finally feels like a decent chunk of his audience is figuring out what I've known for a long time... this guy is totally overrated. Go ahead. Defend The Happening. You're only embarrassing yourself. Because no true student of cinema or fan of film could ever possibly believe this isn't an unintentionally hilarious disaster of unimaginable proportions.
It's impossible to throw the blame onto one thing in particular but the "acting" is most certainly a large contribution to this sinking ship. Say what you want about Mark Wahlberg but the guy is perfectly capable of giving a great performance. But this is a train wreck. The scene where he asks the house plant if it's okay to use the bathroom is so unspeakably bad you'll swear it's a joke. The skit on SNL where he talks to animals carries more credibility.
And Zooey Deschanel. WHAT HAPPENED???? She's a genuinely talented actress. But it's like she's not even trying. Which simultaneously makes her the worst actor in the film and the smartest person in the cast. John Leguizamo is the only one who manages not to look like a complete fool. The bottom line is all of the performers have been fantastic in other films. I blame the direction. It's always felt like M. Night's striving for something minimalistic or restrained with his actors' performances. Yet somehow it always nosedives into melodrama instead.
The script is ludicrous. A lot of people feel the premise is a strong one. I disagree. But I do feel another filmmaker could have taken the same basic story and done something much stronger and more resonant with it. Plot points aside, the dialouge is flat out horrendous. The very definition of cringe-inducing. Anytime the characters try to slip in exposition it feels clunky and awkward. And the rest of the time they simply tell us exactly what they're thinking or feeling instead of showing us.
There are some nice touches here and there. The model home billboard with the slogan "You Deserve This!" immediately comes to mind. And the scene at the construction site early in the film is pretty grotesque. But the rest of it fails to be remotely frightening, suspenseful, engaging, or insightful. I'm not sure what the goal here was but this is completely disposable work.
Sometimes movies are so bad they're fun. In this case it's just plain bad.