Boring and ridiculous at the same time

Rating: 1/10 (23 July 2009)

I think hundreds of people have said it before me, but this movie is very below average. The plot is that people all over the world are reported killing themselves. They can't find any reason why this is happening (happening? The Happening? Get it??), and it seems that they also can't figure out why these people are committing suicide in the most over-the-top way possible. Then after boring you for another half hour they find out who's making people suicidal; plants! Haha! Really, this is so ridiculous its not even funny anymore. I expected M. Night to come up with sóme kind of plot-twist like he usually does, but plants?! Give me a break. The script looks like something M. Night wrote on a coffee-break in between making movies.
Anyway. After that, the movie drags on and the remaining people are now trying to survive, just as the viewer is trying to stay awake during the rest of this mess of a movie. I just can't believe that the guy who wrote and directed classic films such as The Sixth Sense can come up with such a ridiculous B-movie, and honestly its not 'horrible' either but just boring as hell. But horrible movies at least have some comedic relief, but this movie on the other hand presents nothing original. Mark Wahlberg is also at his worst in this movie. You can just see at his face that he is completely lost. I have to admit that I never liked Mark Wahlberg at all, but his acting here is very poor.
I think that The Happening was trying to come off as spooky and realistic since there are no monsters, aliens or ghosts and the like involved. But instead the movie feels stiff, the acting is simply unconvincing and the characters themselves are not impressive. Maybe a plot about people mysteriously killing themselves cóuld be a good idea for a grim story, but The Happening just isn't. In my humble opinion this is M. Night's worst movie until this date.