Are you really qualified to watch this film?

Rating: 9/10 (28 June 2008)

When I saw this film at the multiplex nearest to my house, I had to ask the a group of people sitting in the row behind me to keep it down twice. They were older teenagers / young adults. The third time I had to tell them that this was not their home theater system. That at least muffled their voices, if it didn't get them to be quiet. The Happening, on the surface, like all of Shyamalan's other films is a film about nothing. He is similar to Hitchcock in the sense that he is very instinctive and has his own signature style of film-making - you can tell that from the tone, dialogue and mood of their films. Hitchcock was fascinated by the various facets of fear and Shyamalan is equally passionate about the human condition. M. Night Shyamalan has very unique sensibilities - at least that is what comes across from his films. His films cannot be pigeonholed into any one genre; thriller, horror, suspense - these are good for the blockbuster near you. It would be equal to classifying Hitchcock's films as suspense thrillers. This is his eighth feature. I have been fortunate to watch all of them with the exception of his first film Praying With Anger - I wonder if its available on DVD. Shyamalan is a true genius, a path breaker who will be hailed as a cinematic great in the years to come. 9/10.