Were you one of the people who went to see M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening instead of The Incredible Hulk? I’d be interested to hear what you thought. Ebert may have given the movie three stars, but most American movie critics are throwing Rotten Tomatoes at the screen (only 20% fresh on the Tomatometer). But forget about the critics, I want to know what you guys thought. Please comment below!
My quick thoughts: Shyamalan needs to find a group of creative people to collaborate and bounce ideas off of. Not only is the plot ridiculous, but the characters are unbelievable and speak like no living human being I’ve ever seen or experienced. Shyamalan has directed Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, both considered talented actors, into one-dimensional b-movie level performances (for example, think back to Natalie Portman’s performance in the George Lucas-directed Star Wars prequels). Despite promises of M Night’s first R-Rated horror film, Shyamalan keeps most of the violence off screen, and never suceeds at being horrifying even on a psychological level.The resulting film is more unintentionally funny than scary or thrilling. Wahlberg runs away from the wind (…as if you could actually run away from the wind?) and pleads to plastic plants. And the ending is the textbook definition of anti-climatic.
So, what did you think about M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening?