The Happening

[JasonEvans]

Just got back from a midnight screening.

Thank god I did not pay money to see it.

To merely say it is the worst movie of Night's career does not do it justice. It was the worst movie I have seen in theaters in years. The acting and script were so bad, I honestly thought they might be going for a horror-as-comedy kinda thing. I am not sure I have ever seen acting this bad or lines this lame or a plot this idiotic in a mainstream, big-budget film. I mean, this thing made that new Poseidon Adventure remake a year or so ago look like a work of art.

I just cannot tell you how bad it was. The audience laughed out loud at many moments that were supposed to be scary. There were maybe 1 or 2 mildly suspenseful/scary scenes in the whole movie. The sad thing is, Night was really trying to be scary and even gory at times, but it didn't even come close to working.

I am glad for one thing-- there was no big "twist" at the end. I am glad Night no longer feels the need to turn the whole film upside down at the end to make a movie. This will make it all the more powerful if he ever does make a good twist movie again...

...though I think he is going to have real trouble getting money to make movies in the future. This was as bad a writing and directing job as you will see in theaters this season. Whew!

Ok, I am going to go to sleep now. I hope and pray none of you go to see this movie, but if you do, I will be eager to see if anyone can defend it as anything other than unmitigated dog poop.

--Jason "is it worth me discussing how bad it was while giving away some spoilers?" Evans

[dukemomLA]

Saw a screening last night. Sigh.... Avoid this flick -- or rent it on DVD when it comes out.... as long as you supplement it with lots of popcorn and martinis.

[YmoBeThere]

In other words, channel Nancy Reagan? "Just say no."

[aimo]

I loved the Sixth Sense. Totally was surprised at the ending. I thought Signs sucked and I had The Village figured out about 20 minutes into it. Thanks for the warning, considering it's being promoted as the "best ever!"

[Bostondevil]

Imagine being that guy, your best work was your first and you never come close to matching it again. Sometimes early success is a really bad thing.
Poor guy. He should probably shoot someone else's script next time around, really. Wonder if his ego would allow such a thing.

(Whereas I didn't figure out The Sixth Sense, I did keep wondering why noone ever talked to Bruce Willis, except the kid, particularly the scenes in the restaurant with his wife and the little girl's funeral, so I didn't have to go back and see it again.)

[Shammrog]

Imagine being that guy, your best work was your first and you never come close to matching it again. Sometimes early success is a really bad thing.
Poor guy. He should probably shoot someone else's script next time around, really. Wonder if his ego would allow such a thing.

That seems to be a hugely common phenomenon for those in the creative fields; writers, filmmakers, etc.

I think Night's problem is that he has very good story ideas, that he rarely seems to live up to in telling on film. I think he might make a better writer than director?

(FWIW, loved The Sixth Sense, very much liked Signs, The Village was just "OK." Unbreakable sucked.)

[CameronBornAndBred]

I love bad reviews. The best thing about crappy movies is reading about how crappy they are. I've been looking forward to "The Happening" coming out for a while, because I had read early press that the movie would be awful. I've been at rottentomoatoes.com this morning, and the flood gates have opened with the bad reviews coming in. So far it has a 20% tomato-meter rating, I'm thinking that will go down more by tomorrow.

[Clipsfan]

I love bad reviews. The best thing about crappy movies is reading about how crappy they are. I've been looking forward to "The Happening" coming out for a while, because I had read early press that the movie would be awful. I've been at rottentomoatoes.com this morning, and the flood gates have opened with the bad reviews coming in. So far it has a 20% tomato-meter rating, I'm thinking that will go down more by tomorrow.

Keep the bad reviews coming...I'm planning on seeing it this afternoon and I want my expectations as low as possible. Maybe I'll enjoy it then.

[77devil]

Keep the bad reviews coming...I'm planning on seeing it this afternoon and I want my expectations as low as possible. Maybe I'll enjoy it then.

From WSJ review: "....woeful clunker of a paranoid thriller." "How else to explain this film's befuddling infelicities, insistent banalities, shambling pace and pervasive ineptitude." "The movie I saw was truly, mysteriously awful."

I think that just about covers it.

[blublood]

^^^ Gosh. Y'all, is it really that bad or does everybody just hate, hate, hate M. Night Shaymalan these days? I may go see it just to see if it's as bad as everybody says. ;)

[Bostondevil]

Maybe it will be like Sanjaya Malakar on American Idol. After being told how truly terrible he was as a singer, some folks who had never watched the show tuned in to see this train wreck, only to discover that he wasn't the worst singer ever. When you expect the worst, sometimes it's just not that bad.

Perhaps Harper Lee had it right. When your first novel wins a Pulitzer and becomes a staple of 8th grade English classes forever, why bother with another one?

I'm hoping my first full-length play, should I ever finish it, will have similar success. ;)

[Clipsfan]

^^^ Gosh. Y'all, is it really that bad or does everybody just hate, hate, hate M. Night Shaymalan these days? I may go see it just to see if it's as bad as everybody says. ;)

I'm seeing it this afternoon...I have nothing against the guy, but I'll let you know what I think of the movie.

[knights68]

I think M.Night has just lost his Midas touch, perhaps since Signs or The Village. Pity the guy

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

They named the movie THE HAPPENING for christs sake.

There can only be so much to a movie that probably has the least most creative title given to a such a big budget film in the last 10 years.

[JasonEvans]

^^^ Gosh. Y'all, is it really that bad or does everybody just hate, hate, hate M. Night Shaymalan these days? I may go see it just to see if it's as bad as everybody says. ;)

I am a Night fan. I liked all his stuff except Lady in the Water. I hated this movie with a passion. I have nothing against the guy (though he is phenomenally arrogant) but this is one terrible movie.

--Jason "dying to talk about it with those of you stupid enough to see it" Evans

[CLT Devil]

After wasting time and money going to see Lady In The Water I dont think ill watch anymore of his work. To me, that movie was terrible...there was not one moment Lady kept my attention. I hear at least in this new one you at least don't have to have some M.Night ego-stroking appearance that ruins the scene/movie. Sounds like The Happening is almost like a Cabin Fever, which I thought was brilliant, but was made to be a silly scary movie.

[DukeDevil]

M Night is actually the voice of Joey on the phone.

[Clipsfan]

I did see it on Friday and thought that the acting was incredibly sub-par, as was the dialogue, which led to some funny (most likely intentionally) deliveries of lines. The problem was that there was no real connection between the protagonists and what was going on and no reason to care for any of them. I assume we were supposed to feel bad for people who die (trying to avoid spoilers) but never did. I thought that the random deaths were comical rather than gory or scary, but not funny in a good way. Funny in a "did they really think that would work" way. Some people I saw it with thought it was alright, but that was largely because they'd been told it was 10 times worse than Lady in the Water and had really, really, really low expectations. I don't think that they liked it, they just thought it wasn't 10 times worse than Lady.

[pamtar]

I love everything Knight has done except Signs. Lady in the Water is in my top five ever! I'm usually very good at figuring out movies but all of of his twists have gotten me hook, line, and sinker. I know everyone hated Lady and it received terrible reviews but I think it was a masterpiece.

In Knights defense, he's not an idiot. He knows what he's doing and what the reaction will be. I always try to see his movies for what they are underneath. You almost have to surrender all cognitive abilities to enjoy Lady, but thats what makes it so good to me.

Other feel the same or am I a retard?

[Jfrosh]

I went to see it after reading Jason's review, and it really does help having rock bottom expectations. Also helping was an interview with M Knight saying that he was trying to make a B movie. He still may have shot a bit high. The acting was horrible. I love Zooey Deschanel, but she was terribly miscast in this movie. Her quirky sense of humor just didn't work in this film. The main premise had so much potential to be good. All that being said, I didn't hate it and felt entertained for 2 hours (the thirty minutes of trailers were probably the best part). My wife actually liked the movie, but she married me so obviously she isn't very discriminating.

[Clipsfan]

The main premise had so much potential to be good.

I guess you're talking specifically about what is killing people, but to me the main premise is that they've got to escape from the city, which is similar to many other movies out there. I prefer the similar ones which include zombies, if it's just an escape movie. Or even Escape from NY.

Having the entire thing revolve around the phrase "Some things are just forces of nature and you can't explain them" just doesn't do it for me. That and not having the protagonists due anything but run. And act poorly. However, $30MM domestic was really solid. 65% drop next weekend?

[Udaman]

Jason - I saw it last night.

Agree with you completely that the acting and writing were horrid. The two leads were just brutal - almost like they were reading the lines. You felt no connection to them at all.

The plot was also massively full of holes. If the "toxin" was carried by the wind (as it was with the guy in the car with the hole in the top), then they all would have died in the field. If not, then why did the people in the car die?

The special effects were bad (guy in the lion cage, guy with the mower).

Also, no way, no way, no way, no way does a father leave his child behind in a situation like that. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever.

Plus, the beating us over the head with what was happening got a little old.

The only characters that were good was the cookie husband and wife with their plants, and the creepy old lady in the old house.

The sad thing to me...is that this movie could have been really, really good. I mean really good. If they left it up as to what was happening. If they were consistent with how the toxen was being released (not carried by the wind, but literally released by the plants anytime they felt threatened), and if the two leads had done a better job - it could have been an amazing movie. Instead, it just bit.

[JasonEvans]

At one point, they were running away from the wind. Uhhhh, that's phenomenaly stupid.

The movie also never explained anything. Why did it only happen in the Northeast? If it was a population density thing then certainly the California coast would have been hit too and what about freaking Japan/Korea/India and other countries packed to the gills with people too?

They never began to explain why it stopped. There were just scientists saying "it will peak at this time and then ease up" as if they had any idea what was going on. Ridiculous. The whole thing felt like they were making it up as they went along.

This movie will clean up at the Razzies. Worst Actor and Actress raspberries are a sure-thing for Markey and Zooey.

-Jason "it gets worse the more I think about it" Evans