Undeserving of the critical slamming it has received, but definitely not Shyamalan at his best.

Rating: 5/10 (19 June 2008)

I've read and heard several comments, now, suggesting that we should stop expecting a bomb-shell of a twist from M. Night Shyamalan's work and just enjoy his films for what they are. Of course I agree that, as a talented director and writer, he should be allowed to make films which don't necessarily leave our heads reeling come the conclusion. However, the fact is that his best films (The Sixth Sense/ Signs) incorporate huge twists and turns, and without them his work seems somewhat devoid of a climax.
In The Happening, Night has opted out of recreating his twist-focused plot, throwing us straight into the events, or incidents, of the film's narrative. Not necessarily a bad move, but for it to work his characters would have to be well developed, and this is unfortunately not the case in his latest picture. The acting is fine. It's nothing special, but the actors' talents are mostly put to waste, as the characterisation seems stunted and, in some places, forced. I personally didn't feel very attached to the characters. I didn't necessarily want them to cop it, but I wasn't that bothered if they did.
However, even though I felt the characters lacked any real substance, Night deals with suspense very well for the most part, often reminding you of the best scares of his previous films. He also incorporates humour subtly and effectively, giving a sense of humanity to the piece, particularly in one scene involving Wahlberg and a plant.
I would never steer anyone away from watching an M. Night Shyamalan film (at least none that he's done so far), but I left the cinema ultimately feeling disappointed that the film did not reach my expectations. Shyamalan is a fine director, but this attempt fails to show his fullest talents because, unlike The Sixth Sense and Signs, which linger in your mind long after viewing, after The Happening, it's easy to forget it ever happened.