THE HAPPENING (M. Night Shyamalan, 2008) **1/2

Rating: 5/10 (6 July 2008)

One of my pet peeves has always been when movies have identical names but absolutely nothing else in common with each other; this is just such a case since, back in 1967, Elliot Silverstein had already directed Anthony Quinn and Faye Dunaway in a now-forgotten hippie kidnappers comedy which, incidentally, I’ve caught on Italian TV ages ago.
Typically for M. Night Shyamalan’s recent movies, his latest offering was coolly received by both critics and audiences but I actually thought that, at least for the first hour, it was pretty good. Hell, even Mark Wahlberg gets better with each successive film I see him in – or at least seems more tolerable as a leading man here than in that deplorable PLANET OF THE APES remake from 2001! Like the director’s previous films THE VILLAGE (2004) and, to a lesser extent SIGNS (2002), this one also has an intriguing premise which is, however, marred by an unsatisfying denouement. In any case, the film’s would-be apocalyptic feel and the eventual discovery of its natural aggressor bring to mind equally modest (but vintage and decidedly superior) sci-fi outings like PANIC IN YEAR ZERO and THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (both 1962).
The belatedly introduced ‘redneck granny’ character was hard to take at times and, besides, as often happens to me while watching disaster movies, I break out in giggles every time there is depicted an event of mass hysteria (which come in droves here). One does wonder at this point, though, where Shyamalan’s career might possibly be headed since he has basically been stuck in the same allegorical/apocalyptic fantasy rut for far too long now…