Another hit from Shyamalan

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2008)

Shyamalan self-deprecatingly described "The Happening" as the best b-movie ever, and that description fits really well. You won't be moved or touched by emotional poignance or be blown away by an astonishing twist at the end. However it will definitely scare the heck out of you.
I am a big Shyamalan fan and find the constant hatred for his movies a bit weird and one-sided, like some group-hysteria phenomenon. Suddenly all critics despise him (panning this movie, I heard it got 11% on Rottentomatoes.com) and moviegoers follow them like sheep. Its similar to the mass-hatred of Jonathan Safran Foer. I understand some people hate him, but honestly, 11%? Compared to Hulk, or "Whatever Happens in Vegas," or Spiderman 3, or "The Good Shepherd", or a million other pointless movies? While the typical blockbuster is a concept or gimmick film, Shyamalan creates real stories, with real characters.
As the movie builds up speed, the suspense rachets higher and higher. The disease is terrifying, and as we see different people killed by it, the symptoms - stopping walking mid-stride - become scarier and more horrible each time you see them. I won't give any scary surprises away, but there were dozens of moments when my heart stopped, and I'm still frightened by the movie a week later.
However, there are also plenty of moments of comedic relief - reinforcing Shyamalan's classification of this movie as a b-movie. Mark Wahlberg has great timing, and stops for a couple of hilarious moments throughout the movie, no matter how grisly the events are. I really appreciated this - nothing in the middle of horror like a few good laughs, Wahlberg talking to a plant and so on. There were also some moments that were perhaps inadvertently hilarious - but if S. was making a B movie, why can't it all be funny? Stop listening to the critics. Try watching Lady in the Water, Village, or Unbreakable again. See this movie for some fast fun thrills without the agonizing idiocy of typical Hollywood.