A Charming Breezy Eerie Entertainer.

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2008)

Finally saw 'the happening'. And if i have to describe the movie in a word, i'd say 'Charming'.
I was extremely excited because (fortunately) i hadn't seen any of the promotional materials and all i had was a vague idea of what the story could be.
After the debacle that was 'Lady in the water' (I'm a huge night-fan, in spite of which i didn't feel like defending it), Shyamalan has indeed returned to form, not fully though, but nonetheless, he's back. And he makes it very obvious that he's less of himself, much less.
This was a very conscious effort from night's side. You can see the carefulness in the way he's moved the story. He hasn't tried to do anything too much. Just when you think he's going back to his preachy self, he slips in a joke. There are several other instances where he stopped himself from going overboard.
A very 'aware' effort, and it has worked. It's rare when a movie exactly meets your expectations. Mostly, i'm disappointed, and rarely i'm surprised (by indie flicks) these days. Happening met my expectations and satisfied me.
What makes us forget about the few negatives is - 'The entertainment quotient'. ____________________________ Plot from IMDb: A paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis(airborne toxins) that presents a large-scale threat to humanity.
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I think 'the airborne toxins concept' in itself is overwhelmingly fresh, and was made believable by Shyamalan's tight screenplay. What works in his favor is the episodic structure of the screenplay, in the sense that we travel with the family and then it's about stuff that happens at point a then b then c and so on. So you don't really feel a lag as the scenes are always at a new spot, and you don't know what to expect.
There are some brilliantly executed sequences in the film: -The opening sequences- numb central park/construction workers fall etc -The aftermath at Princeton. -The lion cage mms. -The boys at the farm house porch. -The creepy lady house scenes.
As for the negatives- There are several visuals and situations that will remind you of previous night movies. This is another evidence of night playing it safe. He has compiled some of the ideas on the basis of what has worked in his previous films. There is just a hint of cheesiness at some points. For instance, a news reporter saying 'we'll never really know what caused the toxins', reminded me of how, in the village, night gives an 'all-justifying' speech to that junior ranger . And Night needs to get new boom mic operators, it's the 3rd freaking time! But the thing is, none of these things really matter to us as we tend to enjoy the film for what it is- A breezy eerie entertainer.
And it's definitely Shyamalan's least pretentious flick. It never takes itself too seriously. There are some witty moments which i enjoyed.
Mark Wahlberg was solid. He was a very different Shyamalan protagonist as he did not seem to have a drastically disturbed life like the predecessors. He seemed like a down to earth character. Zooey was cute, naive and lovable. Very unaware of her unique beauty.
CG schmoogy! who needs it !I think i saw a couple of matte BGs but either way, the whole movie looked very organic which helped the cause and was a welcome change to my eyes.
Now for the reason as to why i really liked the film- The concept. The airborne toxins from plants.
WTF!
It's a sexy plan, but i wonder how many film-makers would be able to make a story out of that one! There is no definitive physical villainous structure in this film, he had to make that element out of thin air (literally!)... and he did! I love the guts night showed with this film. I think that's the reason he went safe with the treatment. The concept is so out-of-the-box that the audiences need a bit of familiarity within the story. I love the man for pulling this off. And the message of the movie is something i believe in firmly, you mess with nature, and it'll kick yo' ass.
Night's back on track baybee! Not his best (And it'll be a helluva task to beat 'Unbreakable'), But nonetheless, A good solid movie.
Verdict: Personally, This reminded me a little of 'War of the worlds'. And i was wondering, what that movie couldn't do with zillions fueled into it, this movie could! 'The happening' has a heart, a soul and a charm.
I've read what the critics had to write, and most seemed to have written it before even watching the film. It's amazing how the reviews are of Shyamalan rather than the movie.
I'm giving a confident thumbs up because the theater i went to was packed, and the audience response was extremely positive. They traveled with the characters and liked it, if not loved. Several 'aaah' and 'oooh' moments. And i think the ladies especially will like the ending portions a lot.
'The Happening':- Charming! 7/10
Special Note:
Joey : Manoj Night Shyamalan
-haha a masterstroke