Starring: Mark Whalberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez

Written & Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Released: 2008

Grade: B-

The Happening has been given a far worse reputation than it deserves. Perhaps having the film introduced to us as Shymalan’s first R-rated film wasn’t the best description. It doesn’t feel like it belongs in this category at all. Sure there is some blood here and there, but honestly it was pretty tame. The Happening is a thriller with socially charged motivations. Thought is much more present here than blood or any big elaborate scenes. Going in to the film, as long as you are conscious of this, you should be able enjoy it. Sure there are flaws in the film and some of the concepts could have been dealt with further, but overall it is a very underrated film and one that goes a different route than we typically see.

Elliot Moore (Whalberg) is a science teacher who is baffled by the bulk of bees who are simply disappearing all over the world. The theory is that human disappearance won’t be too far behind this. Just as this happens something very odd occurs in New York. In Central Park, people’s thoughts and words seem to be disoriented, which is followed by mass suicides. The cause of this is believed to be a terrorist attack by airborne chemicals. Elliot goes with his wife, Alma (Deschanel) and his friend, Julian (Leguizamo), a math teacher at the school he teaches, along with Julian’s daughter, Jessy (Sanchez), on the train to Philadelphia. Julian gets worried when he loses contact with his wife. Other people on the train start receiving video images of people viciously getting killed, one after the other. Now Philadelphia has been hit too and the train is immediately stopped. This puts everyone on the train in a small town in Pennsylvania as all trains have now been mandated to go no further.

A pattern of big cities being hit makes them think that being in the smaller, secluded areas gives them a better chance of staying safe. A real estate agent from the area tells them that there is a town like this where they could be safe nearby. A soldier takes the first round of people there since the rest of the soldiers have been hit with what is going on. When they hear gun shots followed by screams over and over again, it becomes clear that the attacks are coming closer to them. Elliot and Alma have taken the responsibility of taking care of Jessy while Julian attempts to track down his wife. Elliot wants to do everything he can to better understand what is going on in hopes of saving Alma and Jessy. Since the other group had more people in it along with the big cities, he comes to the conclusion that the bigger the number of people together, the more likely they are to be attacked. After talking to a plant caretaker, he forms the conclusion that what is going isn’t terrorist attacks, but the plants attacking. They find a house of an old lady who claims she doesn’t care for the world, because it doesn’t care for her and is oblivious to what is going on. Although, she seems a bit crazy she does offer them food and shelter, which becomes their shield against nature. As she becomes more and more paranoid towards them, it almost seems as if she is conjuring up the forces of nature to kill them all. When this hits, Elliot is separated from Alma and Jessy just when everything could be ending for them.

The casting choices were very wise here. Zooey Deschanel really makes everything she touches better. She engages us in what is going on and brings the right tone to display her struggle. There was a lack of chemistry between Mark Whalberg and her. Whalberg was still very believable as a science teacher who wasn’t afraid to think outside of the box to find the truth. There were some major gaps between him and Alma, but their relationship was going through a few bumps so this seemed natural. Sure a little more growth could have showed the two connecting when they reached out for each other, but they made it work. John Leguizamo brought out the somewhat nerdy, scared, and concerned math teacher who tried to be strong for those who needed him the most. Ashlyn Sanchez as Jessy was very loveable and made the situation seem more tragic.

The weakest point of the film was the context of the troubles that Elliot and Alma were having. We knew there were problems and there was a certain distance between them, but this really isn’t gone in to deep enough. We aren’t given any reasoning or understanding and when they are brought closer together we aren’t sure what the struggle to get to this point was, making this moment in itself less rewarding as it should have been. There are some cheesy points such as when Whalberg dashes for a kid who is about to be get shot, and of course does this in slow motion slowly shouting his name. There are no big surprises or revelations as the movie continues, which is somewhat disappointing, but in many respects this follows the motives of the movie, putting the material covered above scares or shock. A mixture of these would have made for an interesting horror shocker, but that is not what The Happening is and that is fine.

The Happening doesn’t have the constant tearing apart of the city or the same uproar of victims in many disaster films. When the attacks are taking place it is very quiet, it is almost a dream like state. I know this didn’t register with many and it was perceived as a lack of action getting the criticism of it being boring. Personally, I was never bored with this movie. There is a very subtle nature to what is going on and for a very good reason. If the attacks were made to be more violently obvious than it wouldn’t seem like they were a product of plants unless the plants were literally monsters that killed physically themselves, which would just be cheesy and would give us comedic overtones. No, the more serious and secluded take Shyamalan used was much better suited for what he was trying to do. This is not an action based film at all and as long as you can accept that than your mind will be free to think about the ideas the film shows us, which is the real concentration after all. The characters follow this lack of action and are much more internally focused. Alma even states in the beginning that she doesn’t like other people to know her emotions. The characters are struggling with so much and don’t know how to cope, really all they can do is keep on going on and attempt to live through the disasters they are facing. When shown death all around especially when it is so unknown and doesn’t seem to make any sense, the world becomes broken down and uncertainty and instability follow.

Plant and nature horror films have been done before, but a different tone is given here that takes it more seriously than most. The plants may be the ones killing, but we are the ones at fault. The pollution and lack of care we show have finally built up so much, forcing nature to fight back. Sure this may sound far fetched, but it works. Given our environment and the reality that at least the theory of the possibility of our behaviors and mistreating of the environment could lead to a threat against humankind is extremely relevant. Also, the immediate assumption that the attacks were terrorist acts seemed pretty realistic to this time, especially with the government and news obsession of this. The fact that this is the first thing assumed plays to the paranoia and fear that is present. The Happening takes a different approach to the disaster film through a chilled stillness to face the environmental horrors that we have given life to.

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