Starts well, proceeds well, could have ended better

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2008)

The Happening is M. Night Shyamalan's first collaboration with 20th Century Fox (his previous films were financed by Disney) and, probably because of the shift in production company, his first R-rated feature (a bit of an oddity, considering Fox even had Die Hard 4.0 reduced to a PG-13). Does this mean it's a full-blown horror movie? No. It's just as low-key and subtle as The Sixth Sense or Signs - with added blood.
The "happening" of the title refers to a bizarre incident that occurs in Central Park, New York, and then spreads to the rest of the city. Basically, we're talking about some sort of airborne virus (perhaps released by terrorists) that causes sudden inability to speak, disorientation and, finally, an urge to commit suicide. The substance or whatever it is starts invading other states as well, and soon all of the Northern East Coast is contaminated, causing people to run for their lives. One of them is a Science teacher (Mark Wahlberg) who tries to save himself, his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and a colleague (John Leguizamo). As the situation gets more and more unbearable, he comes to realize the "virus" might be nature reacting to all the bad things mankind has done to the world.
Some might say The Happening is a horror version of The Day After Tomorrow, minus the ice, since both flicks seem to warn us about toying too much with nature. It's a good point, but Shyamalan goes beyond aiming for sheer popcorn entertainment: unlike Roland Emmerich's disaster movie, his work is more paced, poetic and thoughtful. He gives his theory time to breathe and reach through to us, while at the same time retaining a sense of mystery, obviously inspired by Hitchcock's decision to not reveal too much in The Birds (in fact, he revealed nothing at all). Perhaps, though, it's best to draw parallels with Spielberg's War of the Worlds, echoes of which are to be found in the tone of the film and Wahlberg's humble "common man" portrayal, aided by Deschanel. Leguizamo, on the other hand, although a terrific actor when he gets it right (see Land of the Dead), isn't on screen long enough to really make us care for him.
And now, what most people argue about in a Shyamalan film: the ending. It's fairly safe to say there's no twist (what was it gonna be? Aliens? Or maybe it was all just a dream?), and that's a good thing because a parable of the fall of humanity wouldn't benefit from that kind of closure. However, considering the awesome build-up (the scene where an infected man gets eaten by lions truly justifies the R), it's a pity to see The Happening end on a syrupy note. At least until the real epilogue is revealed, one that proves, once again, that Shyamalan really has realized the Signs misstep won't be repeated.
7,5/10