What happen to M. Night Shyamalan? The Happening happen and it was a huge disappointment.

Rating: 5/10 (3 March 2014)

Director M. Night Shyamalan use to be a really director, but as of late, he has been producing a lot of awful movies. Is he really trying to make us kill ourselves, after watching his films?! I use to love his films, but The Happening is one of the biggest letdowns, I ever witness. The film is about a mysterious event happening all over the East Coast of the United States, where people all over are killing themselves for no reason, and there's no explanation to these mass suicides. Nobody can stop it, and no-one can escape it. It doesn't stop, High school teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) from trying to escape its death grip. With his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), fellow teacher Julian (John Leguizamo), and Julian's daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sachez), they hope to survive by escaping the cities and try their luck elsewhere. The movie takes mostly a Hitchcockian approach to the horror, in which, the suicides happen without much explanation. You see, the movie even references a lot of Hitchcock's films. M. Night is even famous for the Cameo like Hitchcock. M. Night Shyamalan plays Joey, with whom Alma had an affair. Although his character is never seen only his voice. The movie could be describe as a badly written, 'The Birds' meet 'Psycho'. There is some examples in the film that were very smart writing such as the mood ring symbolism. There is a lot of use of the color, yellow that can represent a lot of things like being positive in life, than self-destruct. Some people think it has this 'Cold War' or 'New Terrorist or it's the Government" hidden message coming out of this film due to the talks of extreme talks about government trying to depopulation their population, but I can't find the bearing to this film. Without spoiling the plot, I think the opening lecture by Elliot Moore gives too much away of the plot too early. The movie is really out there with its Gaia's Vengeance's plot. I like how all the suddenly, these 'things' evolve to emit neurotoxin. All species of it. Simultaneously. The Happening has this post environmentalism theme that seem a bit too preachy. I don't get why people in the park would get attack, because it's seem that the park is helping nature. I don't think M. Night Shymalan knows how science works. Science solves the mystery, not give up explaining it. Science Cannot Comprehend is just a lame excuse for bad writing. Then there is way too much exposition speak throughout the film, as if the audience was too dumb to know what is already happening. I wish, the movie explore more of the conflict between Elliot and his wife, maybe it would help the story better. The whole cheesy power of love will stop the tragedy is not well-played. This movie could had work, if only the deaths weren't so cheesy. For some reason, the film's R rating was a huge marketing ploy because before this movie, most of M. Night's horror films were PG-13. M. Night can see that with an R rating, he was able to get away with a lot of things that he would had to tone down if it was another PG-13 film like extreme violent, gore, or digging into more serious disturbing adult themes. Rather than making a serious, in depth horror film. He made fun of the horror genre, by going with an 1960's sci-fi/ horror cheesy B-film style with over the top's deaths like a man getting eaten by a lion or another man getting run over by a lawnmower. Even the children getting shot is pretty dumb. It was supposed to be shocking, but it wasn't. Anybody can see it, a mile away. M. Night really try to make the wind seem scary, but its fails to be. If anything was scary, it was the crazy doll lady. Mid-through the movie, it seems like we jump into another horror movie with her. It was a bit distracting from the main plot and never really goes anywhere. I felt like it was supposed to symbolism, where Alma and Elliot's relationship was going, but it's never truly explain. Most of the people in the film, give out dull expression when seeing people getting killed. The worst is Alma. Zooey Deschanel's acting is so bad, I just hoping she was going to die in the film. Mark Wahlberg isn't as bad, but his delivery feel like he was neutered. He didn't had any balls in it. I understand why he was so monotone in his underacting because of the plot needed him to be, but gees it was too passive aggressive. Still, he had some of the most quote silly lines ever like 'What? No!' or 'Come on, take an interest in science'. The rest of the characters in the film are just awful cartoony people such as the hot dog guy and the cheese and crackers army dude. The camera work is just bad. I like how the characters don't notice the bodies hanging from the trees until the camera reveals them, even though they had been driving straight towards them for a good 30 seconds. I dislike how in the end, half of Alma's face is missing from the frame. I was redder than roses, redder than poinsettias seeing that. Overall: I would watch it, if you like 'so bad, it's good' type films. It's pretty much laughable. Besides that, we sensed it, we saw the signs, but this movie doesn't have anything good happening.