One of the biggest bombs I have ever seen!

Rating: 1/10 (18 June 2008)

Okay, so I am giving this a 1. It was absolutely horrendous. Would I recommend this movie to people? Absolutely. Why? Because it was probably the most entertaining bomb-of-a-movie I've ever seen. Trust me, you will laugh-out-loud.
It was so bad that I am still waiting for Mark Wahlberg and M. Night Shamalyan to say, "just joking, guys!" But no. I've seen interviews with both the actor and director - on separate occasions, and it turns out that what the movie was marketed as and from what these two discuss in interviews, we can gather that "The Happening" was and is an earnest attempt at making a thriller. Both Wahlberg and Shamalyan talk about the premise and the seriousness of the story, and so on. But I kid you not, a thriller is not what you get. It's a comedy because we recognize how earnest this attempt was at making a thriller. And our realization of this while watching the absurd film makes it all the more entertaining and funny. Oh I definitely smell Razzies.
The premise isn't even that bad, I have to say. Plants/nature turning on humans because of our destruction/lack-of-respect, etc. But the delivery... oh my! The acting is something to behold. It will have you believing that these actors may have in fact been lobotomized or invaded by kindergarten students during the filming. Particularly Mark Wahlberg. Okay, now some people might say that he is supposed to be a an innocent/naive-type character. Umm, no. His delivery of lines is on par with Keanu Reeves on a bad day. Is this the same actor that did 'The Departed'? Might not be Mark Wahlberg's fault. Perhaps it was the writing, directing, or editing: which, when combined, leaves the audience on several occasions in absolute hysterics. And I'm specifically talking about the parts that were supposed to be scary or suspenseful. So what gives? My guess is that M. Night lost his mojo a bit. He couldn't step up to the plate or knock down a three when called upon. If he was trying to make a comedy, however, I give him full credit. My uncontrollable laughter throughout was worth the full price of admission.
Now, I have to say that I've been a fan of M Night Shamalyan for quite a while now. Obviously the "Sixth Sense" was genius. By industry standards M. Night was pulling off an Orson Welles for the most part when he brought it out. By word-of-mouth, that movie made a mint. And for good reason. It featured multi-layered writing and flawless directing and people took notice. Then he followed it up with "Unbreakable", an even better film in my opinion. Sheer genius actually. His take on the "superhero/comic-book" genre was of the highest quality; it was original, sharp, and he got the best out of his actors. The problem is, his writing and directing at times is so ridiculously good that you think he can do no wrong. "Signs" was a bit of a letdown. I felt he was relying on the special effects and the alien a bit too much in the third act. "The Village" was unbelievably good. He took a slice of the time (post 9/11 world) and created an allegory of American society. I know I'm in the minority here with regard to that movie, but I felt he nailed it. So he is highly gifted in his craft, no doubt. Again it's the expectations. This happens with all great directors. "Lady in the Water" was an embarrassment to say the least. I don't know what happened there, it was just plain boring and nothing seemed to happen. The editing, the acting, the writing, all bad. Was he, perhaps, a bit too self-involved? I think so. Now we get "The Happening", which is the strangest movie of the bunch because it doesn't know what it is or what it wants to be. Is it a comedy? Is it a thriller? What is it?
Do watch the movie, though. I am telling you, it is the best "worse" movie you will ever see. Heck, I may give it a 10 after my next viewing. If I can just figure out what the hell I watched.