Just not happening

 

 

For those who awaited M Night Shyamalan’s supposed redemption song (after a disaster called ‘Lady In The Water’) and even for those who didn’t, The Happening is a let down. It has the typical Shyamalan set up; seemingly ‘normal’ things turn scary, a worldwide event threatens mankind and an unassuming character (Mark Wahlberg as Elliot Moore, a high school science teacher) caught in the middle of it all as he battles personal issues as well with the mandatory kid thrown in. This time, it is not aliens but plants who are releasing toxins triggering people to become disoriented and then kill themselves, supposedly an evolutionary response from the flora.

There are some genuinely scary scenes (check out some of the scenes where people are killing themselves) and incidentally genuinely funny ones too, but the signature spookiness that defined the Sixth Sense or even Unbreakable is missing. And the lowest point of the film is the climax sans the terrifying twist in the tale that we have come to expect. The performances are average as well, Wahlberg is unconvincing and Ashlyn Sanchez (who plays the kid, Jess) is no Haley Joel Osment. Shyamalan’s message may have been noble but he’s dumbed his narrative down too much to even engage the viewer of average intelligence.

Suspense, not sermon, has been his forte but unfortunately his latest offering doesn’t stick to that strength. Don’t blame yourself if you feel disoriented and have the urge to kill yourself after seeing the movie.