i "happened" to enjoy it (snicker)

Rating: 7/10 (14 June 2008)

after the disappointing and obnoxious egotism of lady in the water made a mediocre m night shyamalan movie seem amazing by comparison, but for some reason i really did enjoy the happening more than the village and lady.
from the opening credits i knew i was not about to be disappointed, while most people create credits with a black screen and long shot of a city shyamalan gives an eerie pattern of slow moving clouds and a discordant progressive overture, i mostly skip credits on DVD but i will watch this odd arrangement again and again.
the rest of the movie holds up in a similar way, unexpected and(usually) pleasurably so. the deaths are a new type of horror for shyamalan not startle or jump out at you but more of disturbance and unsettling presences, the cinematography and imagery hold up beautifully, the screenplay, not always so. after the old English dialog the village and the awkwardness of lady in the water i forgot how skilled m night is at writing dial and crafting realistic characters and sometimes he seems to forget himself. the couples feuding over having a dinner date with a friend(played by m night shyamalan) is borderline absurd and definitely laughable, and an extended conversation with an older couple is an attempt to be funny but is an obvious blunder as comedy and a lazy and awkward way to advance the plot.
overall this is a good transitional movie of m night movie away from misguided experimentation and back towards hard hitting urban horror, come with an open mind and you will enjoy.