The Happening
(http://i.imgur.com/NqqxEYE.gif)
(http://i.imgur.com/deZJo4i.jpg)
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QjKSFe_00
My "Movies by M. Night Shyamalan that I've refused to watch until now" marathon continues. Today we have The Happening. Really wasn't sure what to expect, especially after the dreadful Lady In The Water from last night. I actually liked the concept for The Happening which was kind of like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers with the plants. And at time, it did kind of feel like a 'Zombie' flick running away from an airborne disease and people eventually getting "caught in the wind" and literally turning on themselves.
As for Mark Walberg, it's not a stretch to say that his acting here wasn't top shelf. It was kind of ham fisted at times and there were scenes were his line reading was unintentionally funny. It was kind of like he was on SNL doing a version of what a guy in that situation would be acting like. But I will say this, the Cough Syrup story he tells to Zooey Deschanel was in fact VERY FUNNY because of the way he tells it in his sarcastic way. His acting got increasingly bad as the movie wore on. I really didn't know if this was just bad acting or if the 'Toxic air' was altering him in some way. But for me, the movie went completely off the rails from a thriller into a full blown comedy at the scene of them trying to get into the house. Mark's reaction to the kids getting shotgunned was laughably bad. Everything about that scene was bad.
I felt the first half of the movie was great. But the last half was garbage and the ending, just like Lady In The Water, SUCKED because it didn't deliver for me at all. Okay, the planet is rising up and retaliating against humanity because we are their biggest threat by releasing toxins into the air, affect most of humanity. Um, if that's the case, why stop after the initial "assault", why lay dormant for another 3 months only to start up again? Why not just kill them off right from the start, much like M. Night's career? Anyway, this is definitely a Skip.
The Happening DVD Screencaps
Maybe if there was some hot tree on tree action, I'd be compelled to post some screencaps.......