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M. Night Shyamalan, The Happening
06/16/2008 Remember when The Sixth Sense came out in 1999, and M. Night Shyamalan seemed like the next big thing to hit Hollywood? Well, it’s been almost a decade since that film graced our theatres, but it seems like it's been longer. While he’s had a healthy number of movies released over the years, none of the director’s films released after The Sixth Sense has even come close to matching that film's level of excellence. In fact, a new trend has started to emerge with movies attached to his name: the more recent the film, the less likely its chances are of being good. With his latest project, The Happening, Shyamalan continues his cold streak, producing what may be his most disappointing project to date. Like his past works, the concept for Shyamalan’s film itself is actually very interesting. An unknown “event” is occurring in small parts of mostly northeastern sections of the United States. The condition causes those infected to repeat their speech, walk backwards, and, ultimately, kill themselves. When the unknown phenomenon hits too close to home, school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) is forced to evacuate for safer ground, along with his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and his friend, Julian (John Leguizamo). Unfortunately for them, the event begins to spread, leaving them few places to run. Yes, like his other works, the idea behind the film is an intriguing one, but like his more recent efforts, it’s not executed well. I’m sure that Shyamalan getting the go-ahead to produce his first R-rated film was a liberating experience for him, but he goes a little too gore-crazy. It’s one thing to showcase people killing themselves if it serves the purpose of the story. It’s another if it’s done to just kill time. There are moments when it seems like nothing was really going on, so a gory scene was just thrown in to make up for it. One dud of a scene in particular is when a woman shows Elliot a video of a man walking nonchalantly into a lion’s den. Neither the animals nor their actions seem real; you can tell it’s all special effects. What seems even more unbelievable is the way the mother who shows Elliot the video reacts, which is emotionless. And this brings me to the other major problem with the film: the acting. This has to be the worst display of acting performances Shyamalan has produced in any of his movies. Wahlberg is not in his element here, with the majority of his reactions coming off as forced and/or artificial. You never actually believe he’s a scientist either, but with him spending the majority of the movie running away from the wind and the trees, you manage to put it behind you. Leguizamo doesn’t bring much to the character of Julian, either, but we aren’t forced to watch him all the time. Betty Buckley is actually kind of funny playing the insane old Mrs. Jones, but her character is probably the most underdeveloped. Think Tim Robbins’ gun freak from War of the Worlds, but with an even more extreme case of paranoia. I mean, extreme. Coming in as the runner-up for worst actor in the film is Ashlyn Sanchez, who plays Julian’s daughter, Jess. All of her lines sound as if she just memorized them from the script and didn’t actually put any time into making them feel natural. This is probably more of Shaymalan’s fault than hers, but she’s the one you see bombing on screen, so it’s easier to blame her. When she’s crying or running away, you feel more annoyed by her than sympathetic for her cause. I know this may sound harsh, and she’s only a kid. But there are plenty of child actors out there who know how to act well enough to gauge your emotions. After watching her performance here, I'd say that Sanchez isn’t one of them. The worst performance of the film would have to be Zoey Deschanel’s. She manages to sleepwalk through the entire movie dead, without any signs of life. I understand that the character was meant to be estranged from her husband somewhat, but making the character absolutely unbearable to watch probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Not to mention, there is zero chemistry between she and Wahlberg, making it that much harder to watch her. In fact, none of the characters seem to have any type of chemistry with each other, save the married couple who loves hot dogs. You just don’t feel the sort of emotional attachment toward the characters that you should, particularly in the case of the protagonists. When it looks like the end might be near, instead of thinking, “Oh no, I hope they escape,” you think, “Good, the movie will be over soon.” There are some good things about the film, though. While it may be Shyamalan’s most unsatisfactory work, the movie makes good on the thrills. There are many times where you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat. Even if you know what’s coming (which you will, in many cases), the anticipation gets your blood flowing a little bit. Additionally, reliable collaborator James Newton Howard composes a haunting score that should find its place among some of the best pieces he’s done for Shyamalan. So there you have it. The filmmaker’s latest, while it may have an interesting premise, is yet another setback for the director who used to once have all of Hollywood buzzing with anticipation over what he would produce next. It might be a bit much to suggest now that the next film he does will more than likely be a disappointment, even though no details of his next project have been announced. There’s a chance after all the negative feedback he’s received of late, Shyamalan will think hard about his next move, ironing out any potential issues and, who knows, find his name on a nomination ballot again. But at this point, I doubt it. 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The Happening M. Night Shyamalan Mark Wahlberg Zooey Deschanel Thriller Cinema Review