This happens to be very intriguing stuff, so thank Mr. Shyamalan for his unique film crafting abilities

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2011)

Elliott (Mark Wahlberg) is a high school science teacher with talents and smarts. When discussing the strange changes in the bee world, for example, he expertly draws his students into a scientific discussion of possible causes. One day, while he is at school in the Philadelphia area, strange, terrible things start to happen in Manhattan. Men and women suddenly stop in their tracks and collapse; others jump off tall buildings, stab themselves with knitting needles, and pull out guns to commit suicide. As word spreads, Elliott and his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel) must get on a bus and travel into the interior of Pennsylvania, along with a fellow teacher, Julian (John Leiguizamo) and his little girl. Julian, however, is tremendously worried about his wife, who stays behind to check on her mother. No one knows what is going down but it looks like there is some kind of biological or chemical weapon that is being used to kill, perhaps by terrorists. All of a sudden, the bus stops and the crew tells the passengers that communication has been lost. Even more frightening, folks start to receive film on their cell phones of other acts of suicide, such as the man who jumped in the zoo's lion habitat. As Elliott and Alma hitch a ride with a trucker, Julian insists they take his daughter with them while he is going back, despite the danger, to look for his wife. Will anyone survive this "Happening"? Wow. This is quite a special film, with an intelligent premise, a well-worded script, and a capable cast. Yes, quite a few folks think writer-director Shyamalan has gone down, in increments, since he burst on the scene with The Sixth Sense. Don't you believe it! The Village was a wonderful film and so is this one, with a unique look at the "what if" scenarios in science. Wahlberg, Deschanel, Leguizamo and all of the cast are quite fine as the chess pieces in a horrific match. If you seek superior science fiction films or are a fan of the director, don't delay. Get The Happening before the year runs out.