This is a Serious Casualty

Rating: 3/10 (20 June 2008)

The first film that I watched from M. Night Shymalan was the terrific Signs. However, since then he has been getting worse and worse. The Happening may be even worse than the disastrous Lady in the Water. It starts off brilliantly, but soon dissolves into a lazily written, poorly constructed and unintentionally funny failure.
A large-scale disaster is occurring. Nobody knows what is causing it, but anyone who is caught up in the deadly incidents is driven to suicide. With news of the epidemic heading towards Philadephia, school teacher Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), along with his friend Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian's daughter (Ashlyn Sanchez), attempt to flee. However, the supposed attacks are spreading quickly, and no one knows when the epidemic will strike next...
Shymalan kicks off the proceedings with pizazz in an intense opening which is both chilling and disturbing. However, he starts to lose his bearings in the second half. The film is also too short to be effective, shooting past details as if it can't be bothered to realise their full potential. If this is Shymalan's attempt at a comeback, I think that it's time for him to call it a day. His heart doesn't seem to be in it, and his direction is too pretentious and ultimately inept. I think that I'm just about finished with Shymalan myself.
Shymalan also pens the script, which contains some awful dialogue. One man says, in reference to the supposed attacks, that "there appears to be an event happening." What event? Is the circus coming to town? There is also one horrendously cheesy moment in which Wahlberg's character attempts to communicate with a plant. The script is one of the films biggest weaknesses. Some of the communication between the characters is just downright outrageous.
For me, the acting is a mixed bag. In my opinion, Mark Wahlberg and John Leguizamo deliver the strongest performances, crafting characters who I came to care about and who I could invest in. Wahlberg's solid performance may in fact be the best thing about the movie, whereas Leguizamo's final scene is especially affecting. However, Zooey Deschanel made me feel more uneasy in some scenes then all of the suicidal maniacs put together. At times, she seems so lifeless, so strange that I tended to stop thinking of her as a normal person. Meanwhile, young Ashlyn Sanchez fails to convince in her key scenes as the daughter of Leguizamo's character.
There is another flaw. Whilst Shymalan knows how to start a premise, he doesn't necessarily know how to end one. This is especially obvious in The Happening, where there isn't any real ending or closure to the story. But to be honest, I was glad that the film didn't go on any longer.
The musical score is effective, if nothing exceptional. It creates a strange and intense mood, and does what it needs to do in the long run. Technically, the film is adequate. There are some moments where the technical crew are superb, such as in one scene where two cocky boys upset one crazy survivor. My biggest disappointment is that the brilliance on display in this scene and a few others doesn't last for long.
Overall, The Happening is a bundle of missed opportunities. Whilst it has serious promise in its premise, it is let down by bad execution, some lacklustre writing and truly shy film-making. This film isn't anywhere near the visceral thrills of films such as 28 Days Later. In fact, there isn't really that much blood to speak of. So far, The Happening is the worst casualty of summer 2008, smacking the final nail in Shymalan's coffin with a resounding crack.