Another Take: The Happening Just Sort of Happens

What an odd movie The Happening turned out to be. Some of it is good, much of it is bad. But that's not what makes it so strange. What makes it so strange is how bad some of the choices were, and how these bad choices still managed to jumble together with the good stuff. Mark Wahlberg's performance is the perfect contradiction to use as an example. His first scene in this movie is cringe-worthy. No, the scene I'm referring to isn't one that involves the sudden suicides that take place all over Central Park. No, it's his acting that's cringe-worthy -- Wahlberg playing a science teacher. Speaking to kids. Teaching them science stuff. Simple scene to play. On paper I guess.

This movie is horrifying all right ... for thespians. I could not believe how bad Wahlberg and the lovely Zooey Deschanel were from the get-go. It's astonishing to witness. It's almost worth the price of admission. They, along with their director, were clearly going for something different, because they're both bad in the same way. They both act like they're really high on something (ether is my guess) and both play their roles oozing with gelatinous earnestness. If I was liquored up, I might have even thought their performances genius. I was not liquored up.

But it isn't just Wahlberg and Deschanel: it's everybody. Everybody in this movie acts like they're from another planet (no, that is not the twist ... in fact, there isn't one). The scientist on TV. The news reporters. Their neighbors. Everybody. If I had to guess, M. Night Shyamalan's direction from behind the camera was something like this: Okay, act like you're five years old but try to act like an adult. Also, you're insane ... but trying to pretend you're not. Feel every word. You got me? EVERY WORD.

And yet ... there are moments in the film where the actors, especially Wahlberg, are quite good. Yes, some of his delivery is mind-boggling. But he also nails one of the funnier scenes I've seen in a movie this year -- and it was on purpose! The film's emotional last act is given some weight mainly because of his work. So it's not a terrible performance from end-to-end, and in a really odd way it gels with the other horrible stuff. Like I said, this is one strange movie.

And if you think I'm about to let this film off easy and get apologetic, you're dead wrong. This movie is a mess. It has an interesting premise but it never really goes anywhere. The film people are comparing it to most is Signs, and it's a fair comparison. Both movies are about the world facing an extraordinary and horrifying event. Both films focus on a family. But where Signs is packed with B-movie fun, solid performances, humorous dialogue and a terrific score, The Happening ... isn't. The relationships in Signs were interesting. Here, I really didn't care about Wahlberg or Deschenal's problems. And here's the best part ... you never really find out what their issues were!

I haven't talked much about the plot and that's because there isn't any really. The story in Signs was simple but the characters held everything together and made everything interesting. Ultimately, this is the film's major weakness since the story is paper-thin.

M. Night is usually a master of style. Even his most bile-filled haters must admit this. He's a near-genius when it comes to using sound, and he knows where to put the camera. He knows what shots to hold onto. Usually his films flow and piece together like a perfectly constructed tale, whether or not you enjoy the story he's telling. He is as inventive a filmmaker as has come along in the last ten years. These days when reviewing an M. Night Shyamalan film, there is this odd need for full disclosure as to how you feel about his other films. I'm not going to get into my feelings on every single one of his movies but I will say this: I'm a very big fan of his work. It makes this film all the more disappointing.

Unlike his other films (even his failures), The Happening strives for little. This is Night's bloodiest film and the opening moments of the movie are indeed chilling (the R rating is warranted). You would think this is Shyamalan unleashed. How funny it is then that this film ends up feeling like his safest, most generic and most tame entry to date.

Grade: D

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Dre writes three times a week for Film.com. Email him!

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