Do not listen to the naysayers; this film is actually quite good

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2008)

I am not sure what people expect when they go to see an M. Night Shyamalan film. Do they expect to see a "twist" ending? Academy award winning acting? Stellar writing? If so, they you will be disappointed with The Happening. However, if you want to see a somewhat original, mildly shocking, and entertaining film, this is a good movie to see.
The Happening is not a frightening film, where you will jump out of your seat or scream with fear. However, there are scenes that you will not expect that will shock you a bit. The dialogue is sometimes a little corny, but it at times is very funny. Some people may think the premise is "laughable", but there have been many, many more far fetched movies made recently that do not get this type of criticism.
People love to criticize M. Night's films because they hate him. They do not bother to watch the movie with an open mind to see the cleverness of the writing, the message within, the subtle humor, or the human struggles that are always present in his films. Many of his critics do not bother to see the movie for what it is. They instead say "it's not The Sixth Sense, so therefore it sucks". On one Message Board thread, people are criticizing his writing because Mark Walberg's character says "with whom?" (which is correct) rather than the more common "with who?". They criticize the writer because he portrays a teacher that uses proper English! That is a great example of him receiving undeserved criticism. They are not interested in giving you an honest critique of the movie; they are interested only in bashing Night every chance they can. I wonder how they would have criticized Night for butchering the English language if Elliot said "with who?" instead?
Well, I think there is a lot to this movie, and I would encourage you to go see it. But go with an open mind, the the attitude that "I am going to be entertained by this", and you will not be disappointed.
Some of the scenes may disturb you. There is not a lot of blood and gore (as in the Saw movies), although there is more than any of his previous movies (including The Sixth Sense). You see a lot of people die, so if that bothers you this movie may not agree with you. The ending is very subtle, and there is no twist so do not look for one. I don't necessarily agree with Night's message in this film, but it did not ruin the film for me. This is a drama that is wrapped around a couple having marital difficulties in the midst of a terrible "event" that has befallen the northeastern United States, and it shows how they survive through this crisis (similar to Signs). No aliens this time, however.
I saw the movie twice. The first time I took my wife, and the second time I took my oldest daughter and her fiancé. I appreciated the movie more after seeing it a second time. That has happened to me previously with some of Night's films, specifically with Signs and The Village. I missed things the first time but seeing it again helped me to appreciate the movie all the more.
Go with an open mind and enjoy the film. At times you will gasp, laugh, cry, and be sitting at the edge of your seat. Both times I saw it the audiences appeared to be satisfied with the film. I know I was.