THE HAPPENING

I’d wager thirty million dollars that M. Night Shyamalan was a fan of The Twilight Zone when he was younger. Those macabre tails set in the most peaceful places, stories of unknown events that create panic, more and more they seem to be setting the framework for Shyamalan’s movies. And of all his odes to The Twilight Zone, none of them feel more rooted in that dimension beyond sight and sound than his latest movie THE HAPPENING.

Fair warning – it will be hard to review this movie without giving details away, but I will try my best. Read on if you dare.

The movie wastes no time in getting the blood a-curdlin’. The opening scene is a rather disturbing sequence set around Central Park in New York City. People are suddenly becoming disoriented…stopping in their tracks…and eventually taking their own lives. Given the times we live in, the knee-jerk reaction is that this is a terrorist attack. If only.

A few hundred miles away in Philadelphia, we meet high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel). News of the happening has sparked concern, and people are being told to take caution. Despite a teaspoon or two of marital woes, Elliot and Alma waste no time in hopping the next train out of town in the hopes to avoid whatever this phenomenon is. Great plan, until the train stops smack in the middle of Nowheresville, PA…because the conductors had lost contact with the rest of the line.

The plague continues to spread. Sources which I choose not to elaborate are discovered. Before long the story turns into “Ten Little Indians”, and you’re left wondering who will kill themselves next. More importantly, and more disturbingly, you sit and wonder just how people will do themselves in.

If THE HAPPENING were in fact a one hour “Twilight Zone”-esque TV program, people wouldn’t be able to stop talking about it, and would likely leave their bedside lamps on when they went to sleep after watching it. But stretched out to 90 minutes and presented in a theatre, it feels a bit weak. The tension comes and goes, and the characters seem to be caught in the nether region between having a plan and wandering aimlessly.

As for the raison d’etre for the phenomenon…well…it’s weak. It’s very loosely explained, understood, and fought against. This is a problem, because when you want audiences to suspend their disbelief, you need to give them something else to believe in. Unfortunately, much like those characters caught in limbo, the story of “the happening” is likewise left in a bad spot between plausibility and complete paranormal.

As the title sequence proudly proclaims, the movie was “written, produced, and directed” by M.Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan is quickly becoming a victim of beginner’s luck. Beyond the fact that his first film was such a cultural craze, his movies soon became formula. His penchant for a twist ending had audiences looking for the turn the moment the opening credits were over.

This time out, it felt like Shyamalan sat down at his laptop and pepped himself up with an “OK! Hit movie! Eerie story! No twist!”. Unfortunately, it feels like he was trying so very hard to avoid the twist, that he lost his way and didn’t know where to take his own story. For me, it feels like the tale just ran out of road. As I reflect upon it, I don’t think that the ending is bad, it just tries to do a bit too much. If that imaginary pep talk did take place, Shyamalan could take comfort in the fact that he at least achieved a movie with “no twist”.

THE HAPPENING is an interesting concept, and I truly do believe that it could lead to something dark, disturbing, and memorable (it might even be one of those movies that plays better on DVD). But as a feature film, it feels lost and loses its way for good around the eighty-fifth minute. Sorry M.Night…I still love ya, but better luck next time.

Matineescore: ★ ★ out of ★ ★ ★ ★

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on THE HAPPENING.