Well done film, EXTREMELY funny

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2008)

This movie was obviously not meant to be taken seriously. The characters, story, and places are all satires on Shyamalan's previous movies; he's making fun of his own corniness.
The fact that wahlberg's character is a science teacher is hilarious. He tells his students, "there are some things in nature we will never understand and we have to accept that..." The most obvious point to make here is that this is not science. No science teacher would ever believe such a statement. So why was wahlberg's character a science teacher? To further highlight the absurdities in this film. And probably to make the scene in the field possible. (where upon facing gunshots and plant-induced death, he recites the scientific method to himself)
The stops on the characters' journey throughout the movie represent different films done by Shyamalan. The old lady's house, for example, is very reminiscent of the end of Signs. And the way she invites them into her home ('i suppose i should let you stay the night,' etc...) is playing on the ridiculous characters we often encounter in these types of movies, living on their own in the woods, etc. And you may notice that the first thing she says to her guests is that there is a speaking tube between the main house and the slave quarters. This is a not-so-subtle foreshadowing that pays homage to the same technique often used in horror movies.
I could go on, but i would rather be watching The Happening, a fantastic movie. And that is all it is. There is no hidden message here, just somelighthearted fun on Shyamalan's part, which he does very very well.
Another thing he did very well is fool all of you. Congratulations, M. Night Shyamalan got the best of you. He built his career around hidden messages, pulling the audience closer and closer to look for meaning in his works. Then with this most recent piece, he got himself an R rating (to complete the comedy) and has had all of you stumped for months trying to find meaning where there is none.
Think of it as a comedy, and it's brilliant.