Far from terrible

Rating: 6/10 (11 June 2008)

Caught the New York premier last night. One of Night's (who struck me as rather humble) first comments was that it's a B film. And so it is, with some truly scary moments and some ridiculous, campy ones as well. There some definite holes, truncated arcs, unlikely character interactions and unexplored conflict but overall it's a fun picture that keeps moving quickly (for the most part). Calls for the end of Night's career are premature. This picture is not meant to be at the same level as Sixth Sense or Unbreakable; it is a different type of film. Whining that it's not "as good" as The Sixth Sense et al is missing the point.
We begin with the good citizens of New York City mysteriously offing themselves, and there is speculation of a terrorist attack (isn't everything due to those guys now?). The deaths are pretty gruesome and there are some great tense moments early on. When the news reaches Philly they decide to close the schools and everyone bails out of town. Science teacher Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) meets up with his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and friend Julian (John Leguizamo) plus Julian's young daughter. They embark by train, which soon has to stop in podunk when all communications are lost. Continuing by car and on foot trying to stay one step ahead of the phenomenon, various bit players die as they go. The teenagers getting bucked down is a rough moment.
JL's stint is cut short when he leaves the group to try and find his wife, hitching a ride in to the affected area. I would have liked to see him live a bit longer; as such his purpose seems reduced to dumping his kid on Alma and reigniting a fight between Alma & Elliot.
The film stock is changed during certain scenes to remind us of cheesy thrillers of the 70s I suppose, such as the lawnmower bit. The hara kiri by lion is good for a laugh also. As a bonus you get to watch this scene on the new iPhone in a commercial, I mean product placement.
Wahlberg is very good and has some funny parts as well such as when he tries to make nice with a plastic plant.
Betty Buckley as Mrs. Jones provides a fantastic, freaky turn as a reclusive widow but exits with a whimper. Her death should have endangered the lives of Elliot & crew but instead Night was content to slit her throat on a windowpane. Still creepy tho.
The 'love conquers all' scene where Elliot and Alma brave the toxic air to declare their affections up close defies logic. But maybe that's the point, love defies logic. Additional relationship tension would have helped this scene.
Night is not subtle here, the environmental message is right in your face. At one point a sign for a new home development reads "YOU DESERVE THIS!" - I got a chuckle out of it anyway.
The overall suspense level could have been better maintained by delaying the revelation that plants are responsible for the airborne toxin. The tension in Elliot and Alma's relationship was handled with kid gloves and therefore a missed opportunity to add some drama.
The ending is somewhat ambiguous which I liked. I suspect it won't play well with American audiences however. The middle of this country likes its' gun totin' justice to be served. For a film with modest aims it's fine, just don't go expecting Citizen Kane. Enjoy it for what it is.