Something's Happening Here (The Happening (DVD))

Member Name: utero

Product:	The Happening (DVD)
Date:	19/11/08 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's only 90-minutes

Disadvantages: Casting, The 'Villain' is crap, not very exciting

M Night Shyamalamdingdong started his mainstream career with a big flop featuring Rosie O'Donnell. He then went away and came back with a little film starring Bruce Willis called The Sixth Sense that thanks to it's twisty ending and solid performances propelled him to the top of the box office and onto the A-List.

He then turned in Unbreakable which is actually in mind a brilliant film, Signs as well done a good job of featuring very little but being quite suspenseful. However then it became just one twist too many with The Village being pretty ropey, not many liked Lady In The Water although I actually thought it well made, had great imagination and at least tried to break out from the norm.

But now it seems like Night is on the fast track to becoming a one trick pony who has bought into his own hype. The Happening is his latest offering which he chooses to deliver with this name before it. Last time I checked even the greats such as Spielberg and Scorcese don't really pull this kind of stunt.

Anyway The Happening starts off well. On an ordinary day people in a park start to stand still and look like they're being taken over. Soon they're committing suicide randomly without reason, people are falling from buildings and soon North-East America appears to be under attack from a unseen toxin in the air. The crux of the story follows science teacher Elliot Moore (Marky Mark) as he and his distant wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) leave New York and escape into the countryside away from danger. But it soon looks like the toxin is spreading, the happening is here and will our small band of characters survive not only the unseen danger but the paranoia gripping the outback of America.

The Happening is easily Night's worst film since Sixth Sense hit. In fact it's something you'd expect to see staring Jeff Fahey on the Sci-Fi Channel. I guess Night was hoping to create a postmodern take on terrorism throwing in a sci-fi twist. Well it becomes apparent what the threat is early on the film and you continue watching hoping that some twist will happen which will actually give this film some real threat. But I don't think I'm really spoiling anything by saying that the majority of the movie consists of Marky Mark and his funky bunch running away from a strong breeze through the trees and the fields. It's incredibly bland and frankly quite boring. I've always found that in his previous films you could at least admire the masterful direction even if the substance wasn't there. But even the direction is pretty bland.

Cast wise I'm afraid Marky Mark Wahlberg is a more successful Paul Walker. He occasionally is ok in movies, sometimes kinda decent but never amazing. In this one the vacant look in his eyes doesn't really endear you to a pretty boring character, Elliot lacks any real charisma or leadership. John Leguizamo also turns up and then get.s nothing to do. The only highlight for me was seeing Dante from Clerks in a non-speaking role.

To sum up The Happening just isn't well....happening.

- The DVD -

The widescreen transfer on the DVD is as you'd expect vibrant, sharp and without any real niggles. This film has a pretty muted soundtrack with little to enjoy in the realm of surround sound.

- Extras -

This was a rental disc and the only thing to find was a few trailers for other films.

- Finally -

He's brought you Dead People, He's spun the comic book genre and he's created a monster tale from what is someone dressed up in twigs. Now he brings you Marky Mark and some wind.

Time to try another genre Night as this is not such a good vibration.

Summary: M Night needs to start changing the record and fast