Really Enjoyable Movie

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2008)

"The Happening" is an enjoyable "B" movie with fine performances by Mark Wallberg, John Leguizamo, Betty Buckley, Frank Collison and others counterpointed by performances that could be homages to the wooden and over-ripe acting in the "B" movies of yesteryear. This adds to the interest and fun of the film.
There are no real smart characters - no one to hang onto as a role model or fantasy figure - in "The Happening." Like the original "Night of the Living Dead," "The Happening" benefits (in this instance intentionally) from scenes that seem poorly acted or seem poorly directed. For example a television newscast, the huddle of train conductors in the small town and the alarmed soldier on a country road can be interpreted as over-ripe but do add to the enjoyment of the film if one is aware of what's afoot.
Wallberg's big scene in which he tries to think of the right course of action to take and direction to run is not unlike how an average person like myself would react in the face of fast approaching, horrifying death with no apparent way out.
I appreciated one of the story's premises that holds that safety is not always to be found in joining larger groups, especially for hermits.
"The Happening" is a cleverly layered film that will find a place on our cultural list of must talk about films for respectable reasons. This film will survive the reviews and would be critics who over the next five years will download the film or rent its DVD version for a second look. "The Happening" will be remembered longer and more fondly than, say, "The Dark Knight" that for those of us who are older than 20 is a been there - done that kind of film going experience.