Beautiful, suspenseful, and thought-provoking

Rating: 9/10 (18 June 2008)

After his last film, Lady in the Water (which was garbage), I wasn't really expecting much. Especially since I've heard so many horrible reviews of The Happening. Well, I'm hear to report that I was very pleasantly surprised. I found it to be an excellent, and sometimes brilliant film by Shyamalan. On a basic level, the cinematography was incredible, as well as the music by James Newton Howard. I'll try and explain why I liked this film without using too many spoilers.
I thought the film was shot beautifully, and the acting by Mark Wahlburg and Zooey Deschanell was particularly touching. Interestingly, many people I've talked to have said the acting was really bad, and the script was atrocious. I found that the acting and dialogue was done in a certain way to set a certain tone. True, the lines were not "Juno-witty," but they were definitely realistic to how people would talk in such a situation. Very simple statements. They didn't have to say too much, because Shyamalan's visuals told most of the story. With that said, I thought the acting was really good.
SO people everywhere on the East coast start acting weird and then kill themselves and the quickest way possible. An act of terrorism? That is what they think, but it turns out that (spoiler alert) it's really plants. OK, that isn't really a spoiler, it's pretty obvious. Let me explain further. Plants are proved to adapt and evolve over time to create defenses against harmful things in the environment. This film takes that a step further, explaining that humans have become that harmful thing, and when humans are around plants have adapted to release a neurotoxin that causes the human to commit suicide.
I thought this was a very interesting concept, and could have been elaborated on further, but hey it isn't the plants' story! It a story of love between a husband and wife, and what they choose to do when threatened with the certainty of death. In addition to this, the film has a very obvious message. Without being too political, the film makes a strong argument that we have now become a threat to our planet, and presents a very realistic way that nature, or God, could solve this threat. This film was very thought provoking, at least for me, and I found myself thinking quite a bit about the deeper messages.
The film was very suspenseful, and had a lot of very disturbing imagery that will stick with you for a while. Being Shyamalan's first R-rated films, expect some graphically depicted suicides. Rather than delivering a flat-out suspense thriller, it becomes much more as the film also serves as a social commentary and message movie. I think a lot of people just wanted a no-brainer thriller with a twist ending.
There are a couple points of controversy I want to address. It seems the vast majority of people hate this film for a couple reasons. For one, it doesn't have a twist ending. All of Shyamalan's films up until this point have had a twist ending. This one doesn't. Kinda. I'll explain in a second. Until this point Shyamalan has tried successfully to surprise the audience with each film. I think here, it is definitely a surprise that there is no twist. The twist is that what you see is what you get. Also, I think a lot of people just don't get the film. They think it has this corny ending after a silly plot about plants killing people.
If you truly understand the ending, I think you will get a lot more out of the film. (SPOILERS HERE) Throughout the film Mark Wahlburg's character refers to the mood ring he wears, and how the different colors it turns represents different human emotions. Also, during the scene in the greenhouse, a character mentions that with a certain technology, plants give off a certain "color" based on the environment they are in and how they are treated. It sounds kind of silly, but it actually is true and real technology. In the film, plants and humans alike both give off "energy" that can be sensed by the other. That is where the ending comes in. Even though the harmful toxin is in the air (the old lady died, remember), the two lead characters are able to survive when they go outside to find each other. It is suggested that the love the feel for each other is so strong, that the energy they give off is not seen as harmful by the plants, and therefore they live. It's also seen when the girl is on the swing. On the other hand. The old lady is giving off such a negative energy that she is killed. This will make more sense when you see the film. (END OF SPOILERS)
In conclusion, I really loved this film. I thought it was beautiful, suspenseful, and thought provoking. If you like M. Night's other films, and go in with an open mind, then I think you will really enjoy this film as well.