An Inconvenient Happening
My friend Robb and I went to see M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie, “The Happening.” I think this was the most disappointing movie I have seen at a theater in my adult life. Granted, I don’t go out to see many movies these days thanks to Netflix and other entertainment sources, but I felt confident that a movie from Shyamalan would be worth the effort - and the ten bucks. Boy, was I wrong.
I was disappointed for multiple reasons. If you’ve seen the previews, you’ve seen all the interesting parts. There’s a slow, pitiful plot that has those scenes inserted into it. The performance from Wahlberg wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t great, but that didn’t really matter. It wasn’t enough to make up for the empty story.
– Spoiler Alert (although that’s not saying much) –
The way the story goes, the self-mutilative and suicidal behavior of the people is caused by something in the wind… some sort of neurotoxin given off by plants. No one knows why, but there are theories that it could come from nuclear reactors or the government. There’s even a reference to the decrease in the honey-bee population.
A few months after the happening, a scientist is being interviewed and suggests that it was nature sending a warning to the humans. The interviewer points out how odd it was that the event was limited to one portion of the country and that folks might be willing to believe it was such a warning if it had occurred in at least one other location. The movie ends with a scene in Paris in which we see the beginning of another “happening.”
Robb and I just looked at each other and grumbled. Apparently, Shyamalan has become a messenger for the environmental cause. This movie could have been co-written by Al Gore. It’s not as though I don’t care about the planet, but I expected a Hitchcock-esque move complete with an unpredictable twist at the end. The only surprise at the end was that there was no surprise.
I have to say that Shyamalan has lost my respect. I think that many others will join me in doubting his work from this point forward. What a shame.
Category: Entertainment
Posted by: Chuck @ 11:11 pm on June 13, 2008