Awesome Premise Botched

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2008)

Firstly, this is not a HORRIBLE movie.
That said, it doesn't live up to the expectations of people who are fans of Shyamalan's better movies. My wife brought to my attention that people are overly critical of Shyamalan's works, and I agree. Had this movie been written, produced and directed by some guy we've never heard of, critics would herald ample praise for this movie.
Frankly, it was good and bad, so I'm giving it a "more-on-the-plus-side" 6 out of 10 stars. The movie has an astoundingly good premise. The more I heard about this movie, the more eagerly I awaited its debut. Even for the first half of the movie, the anticipation of action kept me from blinking for nearly an hour, despite the fact that the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The suspense was nauseating. Ultimately, it got irritating. The suspense became pretentious and wholly unnecessary, not to mention redundant and predictably well-timed. From the middle of the movie to the end, the flick was completely devoid of surprise. The climax was completely not necessitated, making you feel like the protagonists deserve whatever they get! The ending itself was a waste of film. I could have walked out of the theater 7-8 minutes early and I'd be writing the exact same comment here.
I disagree with most of the "The Happening's declivitous crappies typifies Shyamalan's directorial career" comments I'm hearing.
If there's one good thing I would say about this movie, it's that it mystified you initially and frightened you by making you feel so isolated.
If there was something bad I would say, it's that this movie had SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be a really scary, crazy, unbelievable-but-tangible masterpiece, but it is what it is - a decent movie, but a real SNAFU when you look at what it could've been.
Final word: Props to Shyamalan for making a high-budget blockbuster movie that contained about 10 minutes of shots of trees and grass swaying in the wind. I hope you didn't pay too much for those "special" effects.