|
The Happening
Average Customer Review : 2.0/5 based on 156 reviews
Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price : $29.99
Price : $19.99
Customers who bought this also bought
Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single Disc)
Incredible Hulk (Widescreen Edition)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (3 Disc Special Edition)
Editorial Reviews
You'd expect the end of the world to be no day in the park, but in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, a day in the park is where the end begins. One otherwise peaceful summer morning, New Yorkers strolling in Central Park come to a halt in unison, then begin killing themselves by any means at hand. At a high-rise construction site a few blocks over, it's raining bodies as workers step off girders into space. And all the while, the city is so quiet you can hear the gentle breeze in the trees. That breeze carries a neurotoxin, and what or who put it there (terrorists?) is a question raised periodically as the film unfolds. But the question that really matters is how and whether anybody in the Middle Atlantic states is going to stay alive. The Happening is Shyamalan's best film since The Sixth Sense, partly because he avoids the kind of egregious misjudgment that derailed The Village and Lady in the Water, but mostly because the whole thing has been structured and imagined to keep faith with the point of view of regular, unheroic folks confronted with a mammoth crisis. Focal characters are a Philadelphia high-school science teacher (Mark Wahlberg, excellent), his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and math-teacher colleague (John Leguizamo), and the latter’s little girl (Ashlyn Sanchez). Instinct says get out of the cities and move west; most of the film takes place in the delicately picturesque Pennsylvania countryside, with menace hovering somewhere in the haze. There are no special effects (apart from a wind machine and some breakaway glass), but the movie manages to be deeply unsettling in the matter-of-factness of its storytelling. Especially effective is its feel for what we might call the surrealism of banality. One warning sign that someone has been infected by the neurotoxin is irrational or erratic speech and behavior, yet Shyamalan has a genius for dialogue that sounds normal and everyday as it's spoken, yet flies apart grenade-like a second later as its logic (or illogic) sinks in. Then there's Deschanel's eye-rolling dodginess about the messages some guy has been leaving on her cellphone. Or the fellow (Frank Collis) who addresses his greenhouse plants as though they were his children--has a stray toxic zephyr wafted his way, or is this just his idea of normal? --Richard T. Jameson
Beyond The Happening on DVD 
Jumper on DVD | 
Street Kings on DVD | 
Deception on DVD |
Stills from The Happening (Click for larger image)
Spotlight Reviews
Can you give it Zero stars? (2008-11-16)
Customer Review : 1
What a disappointment. This director/writer is the worst. The movie had such potential with the initial idea but anticipation is better then the real thing. It has an enviromentalist agenda, which was very disappointing. I just wanted a scary movie with an interesting/new twist. Save your money, don't rent it or buy it. Put this director out of work!
It only cost a dollar... (2008-11-14)
Customer Review : 1
...to rent from the machine in Safeway but I wish I could get my money back. If you want a good scare, get the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". It has been a nightmare for over fifty years now. The Supremes song, "The Happening" was far more entertaining and well done than this time-waster of a movie.
M. Night Shyamalan Has Lost His Edge!! (2008-11-13)
Customer Review : 2
Okay, I LOVED M. Night Shyamalan's movies "The Sixth Sense" & "Unbreakable" beyond words as both movies were excellent! I've been sorely disappointed with each film M. Night Shyamalan has been associated with since including "Signs", "The Village", & "Lady in The Water"!
However, M. Night Shyamalan's end of the world movie/apocalyptic film, "The Happening", has to be his all time worst film to date hands down. The storyline sucked, the acting was lukewarm at best and I found the majority of the characters to be annoying!! The only interesting performance was played by Betty Buckley in her role as Mrs. Jones (the isolated/crazy woman in the middle of nowhere).
Do Not Waste Your Money/Time (2008-11-12)
Customer Review : 1
This is the worst movie that I have seen for a long time. Very poor story and acting. Do not waste your time or money on this film. It is not even worth the time to explain further.
Nothing happens in The Happening - Awful film! (2008-11-12)
Customer Review : 2
I'm a fan of Shyalaman's films. The Sixth Sense was excellent, The Village was really good too. Signs was ok and the Lady in the Lake was passable. So when I heard about this film I was quite excited. I went along to the cinema, paid my money then wished I hadn't bothered.
The first ten minutes are really good actually and I had high hopes for the film. But after that it just goes downhill. Firstly its completely miscast. The lead woman, Zooey, was a complete non-entity with no screen presence whatsoever. Mark Wahlberg, whilst quite easy on the eye just isn't a very strong actor. John Lequizamo was wasted in it due to terrible dialogue. Which brings me to the second main point - its badly written. Very badly written.
We've all come to expect some sort of twist at the end of Shyalaman's films but this had nothing. The plot wasn't explained at all and we are given no idea why whats happened has happened.
All in all it was extremely disappointing and really not worth spending money on. Watch it when they eventually show it on telly by all means but I advise not shelling out any money on this at all.
|
