Don't believe the anti-hype!

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2008)

M Night Shyamalan is back, thank god! The Happening, starring Mark Whalberg and Zooey Deschanel, is an atmospheric, deeply disturbing thriller about a catastrophe which causes its victims to commit suicide.
Now after the disappointment of Lady In The Water, sadly unsaved even by the talents of Paul Giamatti, I thought Shyamalan had lost it. Then I saw The Village, which was a profound disappointment, more-so for it's effective set-up and laughable 'twist' ending, which for Shyamalan is becoming a calling card. Fortunately there is no such twist here. Instead you get an incredibly creepy, moody film that manages to engage.
First off, the performances by Whalberg and Deschanel are great. They bring believability to their roles as ambivalent newlyweds forced to rely on each other under horrible circumstances.
The writing is good because despite the sometimes slow pace things are always moving forward. Even the slowness works here, because it seems necessary to make the bizarre plausible. We get some breathing room in between the scares, of which there are a few good ones. Very few scenes don't work, with the noticeable exception of the Zoo scene. Don't look for it, it's a blip on the radar, but a blip that made me role my eyes. You'll notice it, don't worry.
That aside, when the credits rolled I was staring at the screen bathing in the (here's that word again) creepiness of it.
I think it wouldn't be too far off to compare this some of the better zombie films, like the recent 28 Days Later. Something is affecting people and killing them, but in this case they stay dead. I also couldn't help thinking more than once about Radiohead's video for their single Just. I wouldn't be surprised to learn Shyamalan's opening sequences were inspired by the video.
I've really been in love with Gus Van Sant's Death Trilogy; Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days, because of the director's spare, minimalist style. Shyamalan has a touch of that same sorta vibe here, in that he allows the story to unfold instead of ramming it down our throats. That said, The Happening isn't as meditative as the aforementioned, but it does allow for some thoughtfulness on the viewers end.
I found The Happening hypnotic and engrossing, with some good scares and shocking deaths. Unfortunately most critics didn't agree, with rottentomatoes.com offering a surprising 13%. However two critics whom I respect gave it their trademarked "thumbs up"; Richard Roeper and Roger Ebert.
I think the problem most critics prolly had was an especially high level of expectation, given the disasters of Shyamalan's two previous films.
I hope this signals a return to form for Shyamalan, a director with an obvious sixth sense for atmospheric horror. (pun intended. sorry.) Final thought: see this film if you want to get totally weirded out.