Creepy fun for all the family! ...so long as you're childless

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2008)

I didn't realise director's could get type-cast too... or Shyamalan just enjoys the spooky, supernatural, Twilight Zone stuff to the exclusion of all else.
Well anyway his enjoyment is infectious and I love the ride. There hasn't been another such distinctive and commercial director like him since Spielberg. A Shyamalan film is almost its own genre now - we know what sort of story to expect and we also know that we'll get a certain quality of direction and production that's beautifully shot, effectively scored and really immersive.
What critics often forget is that even a mediocre Shyamalan film is still better than 73.5% of other Hollywood output. They can't see the forest for the trees! The Happening is rooted in familiar Shyamalan territory, but the bark is worse than the bite - this is spooky more than horror (no bad thing) - but you'll still leaf the cinema feeling relieved and uneasy (but maybe because of Wahlberg's wooden performance - he certainly can't branch too far out of his comfort zone - pretty unconvincing here as a science teacher. Sap!).
So... not without it's faults but still lots of fun, and not nearly as silly as the last Indiana Jones movie. Spielberg is dead, long live Shyamalan! (Okay, that is too harsh)