The Happening

Ever since The Sixth Sense I’ve loved M. Night Shyamalan; and ever since that fateful movie Shyamalan has rested on his laurels. He keeps reminding us of what he’s done in the past, rather than focusing on the future. And with ever decreasing returns I find it increasingly difficult to defend him and his genius. The Happening is the antithesis of The Sixth Sense. It is shallow, predictable and preachy; it teeters between silliness and camp, but never makes it to camp – which would have upped the enjoyment level to passable. The acting is one-dimensional and even laughable in parts; and the story is obvious and preachy. The zombie-level violence is completely unnecessary to the story and is gory to an extreme. The blood in this movie is the final straw to a perfectly stupid Shyamalan film. Normally I can recommend even the silliest of movies for a dollar theater or a video rental. But in the case of The Happening I would encourage, even implore, you to not see this film. It is a waste of time, money and brain power.