M Night Shyamalan's The Happening is a disaster movie. I mean that literally folks. The Happening is a disaster of a movie, poorly written, haphazardly directed with zero tension or suspense beyond what you've seen in the trailer, and career-worst performances from Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. The eco-revenge plot that leads to mass suicides wouldn't be so bad if Shyamalan had any idea what to do with it. And as you carry on watching — despite your inner voice telling you to go, to leave the cinema, immediately, because it's not going to get any better — you realise he doesn't. Instead we have an icky familial finale in another isolated farmhouse borrowed from Signs that really doesn't make any sense and the nagging feeling that maybe he's a filmmaker who only knows one trick. Shyamalan has talked about himself in terms of Spielberg and Hitchcock. On this evidence one would have to say Ed Wood.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
The Happening
M Night Shyamalan's The Happening is a disaster movie. I mean that literally folks. The Happening is a disaster of a movie, poorly written, haphazardly directed with zero tension or suspense beyond what you've seen in the trailer, and career-worst performances from Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. The eco-revenge plot that leads to mass suicides wouldn't be so bad if Shyamalan had any idea what to do with it. And as you carry on watching — despite your inner voice telling you to go, to leave the cinema, immediately, because it's not going to get any better — you realise he doesn't. Instead we have an icky familial finale in another isolated farmhouse borrowed from Signs that really doesn't make any sense and the nagging feeling that maybe he's a filmmaker who only knows one trick. Shyamalan has talked about himself in terms of Spielberg and Hitchcock. On this evidence one would have to say Ed Wood.
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7 comments:
My brother went to see it and he told me something which may be true in the end. He said that Shyamalan, in all his movies, always was in the border line between a good and a bad movie, but on the good side. He wasn't far from doing wrong, but god knows why he never crossed the line, and maybe that's why his first movies were good... until a few year. And i don't know if we'll ever know what happening made him go to the wrong side...
I completely agree with you on the movie. Wow, the acting was just so out of place. It felt as if Zooey Deschanel was still the kooky character from Hitchhiker's Guide. :D I saw Prince Caspian today and couldn't help but to think that Shyamalan should've used some of the same stuff Disney used toward the end of their film (I mean for "nature/trees taking revenge", not saying anything specific to avoid spoiling anyone). At least The Happening would have been more fun if he did.
Anyway, also wanted to pop in to say hi for a change... I've been too busy to comment lately. Though I'm working as a trainee journalist for the one and only Finnish movie magazine, so I can't really complain. :D
unfortunately for M., no one is going to make an amazing movie out of his life b/c he made horrible movies.
I think I'll just re-watch the Sixth Sense instead.
I think that's a very good idea Fran.
Welcome back Essi and congratulations on the job.
For some reason I caved in and decided to see this today.
I never realised being stupefied by stupid could be so damn boring.
Favourite parts? Running from the wind (?!) and that [SPOILERS for anyone still considering this] 'It appears the event stopped happening' line before the fade-out near the end.
Yeesh.
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