The Happening

The Happening

We went to this as M. Night Shyamalan fans. We have loved every movie he has made so expectations were high. This by far was his most obviously influenced by Alfred Hitchcock work, though he has admitted this influence before and it is there in all his films. The basic premise is nature versus humanity, very similar to "The Birds". What if the things we see every day in nature turn on us? In this story, the part of the human brain that gives us the will to live is attacked. There are several images in this film that are a bit disturbing, more so than any other he has made. Again, the way these images are shown is very similar to the way Hitchcock would shocking images. The scenes are rather quick and do not overtake the movie (it is not a gore fest). Much has been said about the acting in this movie, but we enjoyed the performances. These characters were not superheroes, they were meant to be regular people in an extraordinary situation. The movie takes you on a journey with one family trying to escape whatever is infecting people and causing them to kill themselves. Again, along the way you see images that will shock you. There are tender moments and much needed comedic relief scenes to break up the tension. The movie wraps up in a very similar way to "The Birds", without a definite conclusion, only an on-going mystery that makes you think and use your imagination. All in all, it was a good movie, but not Shyamalan’s best film.