The Happening

[Kattylove]

This was on general release on Friday. Who's seen it? I went on opening night with my boyfriend, and I'm not sure what to think.

Spoiler: the Happening

The ending was a complete cop-out in my opinion... how it just ended with no explanation... and then it tried to make up for it with the whole recurrance thing. I wasn't pleased.

The old woman was marvellously freaky, though, and I thought it was reall well-made in terms of keeping tension high and getting you into the confused, panicky state of mind of the characters. This is Shyamalan's strong point... it seems he's lost his touch for killer endings, though.

Overall, I wasn't too happy considering the quality of M. Night Shyamalan's work in the past. However, it does have some truly horrifying moments in my opinion. Including Mark Wahlberg's delivery of the line "What!? No!"

I'd give it 5/10. It successfully frightened me, and the concept was good (the effects more than the cause), but I didn't think the film was really all that great.

 

[Edelweiss4Life]

Waiting for the dvd release so I won't see it in for awhile. This actually made me laugh,the falling people scene in the previews,looks almost fake but I still have to see all his films. He usually makes films I find interesting.

 

[knownbeforetime]

Is it wierd to have nightmares about a movie I haven't even seen yet? Because I keep having dreams about this movie...

 

[white dove]

It lived up to my expectations, and in some ways, exceeded them. After Lady in the Water, I was pretty much on a decline with M. Night's films.

Spoiler: The Happening HUGE spoiler - DON'T LOOK!!

The "explanation", I thought, was in the news broadcast toward the ending, right before the 2nd occurance. I thought the ending was pretty decent. The overcast rolling in, the sparse groupings of people.... the foreign language. It creeped me out! I was almost in tears at that point. I'm convinced that the only reason why it freaked me out so much is because I can't stand to see people hurt themselves... and that's what these people were doing.

Which old woman are you talking about? The only one I can think of are the two women sporting gas masks...

 

[JustMeSee]

I think the film was fair. My biggest gripe was that the plot was very thin and overly predictable.

In the future I think that M. Night should seek help in developing the complexity of plots.

 

[=Joel=]

it was ok i guess, not a big deal, nothing like his other movies minus lady in the water

 

[knownbeforetime]

I think the film was fair. My biggest gripe was that the plot was very thin and overly predictable.

In the future I think that M. Night should seek help in developing the complexity of plots.

Aren't all his films basically the same? It seems that the only thing he can handle is a small group of people in a small space discussing what's going on in the outside world. My dad refuses to watch Signs because, he says, "All it is, is people sitting at home watching TV. All they do is talk. It might as well be a TV movie."

 

[Kattylove]

Spoiler: Reply to white dove's spoiler

Which old woman are you talking about? The only one I can think of are the two women sporting gas masks...

The woman that let them stay in her farmhouse! And then proceeded to act very peculiarly before being infected by the gas and smashing her head through lots of windows. Seriously scary stuff. Perhaps you didn't consider her old (comparatively with the women in gas masks, anyway).

Aren't all his films basically the same? It seems that the only thing he can handle is a small group of people in a small space discussing what's going on in the outside world. My dad refuses to watch Signs because, he says, "All it is, is people sitting at home watching TV. All they do is talk. It might as well be a TV movie."

Signs is my favourite Shyamalan film, haha! The ending is absolutely killer in my opinion, and it was so tense. I thought it was a lot better than The Happening.

Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense weren't that kind of film (the small group in a small space thing), and I don't think Lady in the Water was either - I haven't seen it yet. Unbreakable is a close second after Signs... it's amazing.

 

[cerealkiller88]

I heard this was awful. Haven't seen it though.

 

[Briseis]

Yeah, he's movies arent all the same, and Signs is amazing. Unless Im really missing something huge in The Sixth Sense, since everyone seems to love it, Signs is by far his best. Everything fit together perfectly.

I didnt like the happening because it was very disturbing.

 

[white dove]

Spoiler: response to Katy

Yike! I totally forgot about that creepy woman!! When she slapped the poor little girl's hand and no one said anything, I was peeved! Also... what was up with the corpse? Creepy...

Also wanted to mention how upset I was that no one bothered to cover their nose & mouths in the film. I'm sorry, that's what I would've done... even if it was to no avail, I would've walked around like that as soon as I found out it was airborne. Oh! And another thing.... the couple just happened to want to spend the rest of their last moments together and even THEY didn't bother to cover their mouths & noses! Yeah, let's just get this little girl killed too while we're at it. Urgh. That was a disappointing moment.

It's kind of shocking to me that M.Night didn't direct (or write) the Mist. That is so up his alley as far endings go.

 

[owenwatkin60]

I saw it the other day & thought that it was OK.

 

[Master_Lea]

I liked the movie alright. It wasn't his best movie (Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense take that role), but I think I still enjoyed it. I'm totally sure yet. Like many of y'all, I'm not thrilled with the ending either, or the whole plot throughout the movie. I think he could have done better...but he could have done worse too...

 

[PassionFruit]

I saw it and I feel kind of ripped off. The first ten minutes was good, but after that, I didn't like it. It's disappointing because M. Night Shyamalan is perfectly capable of making some fantastic films. Lady In The Water was strange. :o

 

[Lordbay]

I really wanted to see this movie, cuz I just had to know what the plot. Now, I wished I would have waited for the DVD. I did not like it at all. I was so mad when I found out what the killer was I this one. All I could think was they are running out of things to make into movies. I am not going to say what it was, but I just could not beileve wht I was seeing and the money I wasted.

 

[ciaradawn]

This was on general release on Friday. Who's seen it? I went on opening night with my boyfriend, and I'm not sure what to think.

Spoiler: the Happening

The ending was a complete cop-out in my opinion... how it just ended with no explanation... and then it tried to make up for it with the whole recurrance thing. I wasn't pleased.

The old woman was marvellously freaky, though, and I thought it was reall well-made in terms of keeping tension high and getting you into the confused, panicky state of mind of the characters. This is Shyamalan's strong point... it seems he's lost his touch for killer endings, though.

Overall, I wasn't too happy considering the quality of M. Night Shyamalan's work in the past. However, it does have some truly horrifying moments in my opinion.
I'd give it 5/10. It successfully frightened me, and the concept was good (the effects more than the cause), but I didn't think the film was really all that great.

I totally agree with you 100%. I can't think of anything else to add. I feel the exact same way that you do.

LOL - this was my husband's favorite part! -

Mark Wahlberg's delivery of the line "What!? No!"

 

[Illuminating*Theopneustia]

I haven't decided whether I'm going to see this movie yet o.o Could anyone tell me their opinion of it being rated R? If the movie was made to be rated R just because it'd sell more, I'd rather not see it. If it's rated R because of content that had to be in there because it was an actual thought-out plot, I may..
lol I haven't really seen a M Night movie i didn't like Signs, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Village, Lady in the Water...
anywho, i wanna know a little more about it without it being spoiled for me before i see it
thanks, God bless

 

[Sunburst]

I was not impressed. It's real predictable.

 

[ciaradawn]

Aren't all his films basically the same? It seems that the only thing he can handle is a small group of people in a small space discussing what's going on in the outside world. My dad refuses to watch Signs because, he says, "All it is, is people sitting at home watching TV. All they do is talk. It might as well be a TV movie."

Signs is one of his BEST movies. It's not like the other weirdo movies, it's very very good with a very good christian message. and it's not just people sitting at home discussing the outside world... the outside world comes to them

 

[ciaradawn]

I haven't decided whether I'm going to see this movie yet o.o Could anyone tell me their opinion of it being rated R? If the movie was made to be rated R just because it'd sell more, I'd rather not see it. If it's rated R because of content that had to be in there because it was an actual thought-out plot, I may..
lol I haven't really seen a M Night movie i didn't like Signs, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Village, Lady in the Water...
anywho, i wanna know a little more about it without it being spoiled for me before i see it
thanks, God bless

I'm trying to think why it was rated R... some language, but mostly some of the deaths were pretty gruesome.