Review - The Happening

Okay so The Happening has led me to one conclusion about M. Knight Shyamalan . . .

. . . While I always love the atmosphere he creates in film, he needs a little help in the writing department. I t seems to me that I am always watching his films (with exception of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) and feeling a bit like I am watching a piece of Swiss cheese with all the plot holes. He seems to break all of his own rules in the alternate realities he creates in his films. It is just downright annoying.

Having said all that, The Happening had a really intriguing premise of Nature turning against man. This has by far been Shyamalan’s most gruesome film with a lot of really cool death scenes. You know, there are a lot of really creative ways for people to kill themselves and M. Knight does a good job of demonstrating this fact.

The character development was just above okay in my estimation. The relationship between Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) was really . . . well weird. The thing is the film tried to portray Alma as a very strange OCD riddled doozypots in one scene and then she would be like the only voice of reason in the next. This contrast in character didn’t really work for me.

Although I did enjoy the character of Julian (John Leguizamo), I found that even his interactions with Alma left me feeling quite agitated. And while some of the scenes between Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez) and Alma were sweet, I didn’t find theme very consistent. One special character to call out was the hermit Mrs. Jones (Betty Buckley) they met along the way on their run from the wind. She was fabulously quirky in that crazy, keep the real world away from me, recluse kind of way – I quite liked her.

Unfortunately, after all was said and done, The Happening just wasn’t happening for me.

Directed by
M. Night Shyamalan

Writing credits
(WGA)
M. Night Shyamalan (written by)

Cast (in credits order)
Mark Wahlberg ... Elliot Moore
Zooey Deschanel ... Alma Moore
John Leguizamo ... Julian
Ashlyn Sanchez ... Jess
Betty Buckley ... Mrs. Jones
Spencer Breslin ... Josh
Robert Bailey Jr. ... Jared
Frank Collison ... Nursery Owner
Jeremy Strong ... Private Auster
Alan Ruck ... Principal
Victoria Clark ... Nursery Owner's Wife
M. Night Shyamalan ... Joey
Alison Folland ... Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin
Kristen Connolly ... Woman Reading on Bench
Cornell Womack ... Construction Foreman
Curtis McClarin ... Construction Crew Member (as Curtis McLarin)
Robert Lenzi ... Jake
Derege Harding ... Train Conductor
Kerry O'Malley ... Woman on Cell Phone
Shayna Levine ... Teenage Girl in Jeep
Stéphane Debac ... French Bicyclist
Cyrille Thouvenin ... French Bicyclist's Friend
Babita Hariani ... Medical Correspondent
Alicia Taylor ... U.S. Reporter
Edward James Hyland ... Professor Kendall Wallace
Armand Schultz ... Talk Show Host
Stephen Singer ... Dr. Ross
Sophie Burke ... Student Named Laura
Alex Van Kooy ... Boy in Class
Charlie Saxton ... Student Named Dylan
Kathy Lee Hart ... Vice Principal (as Kathy Hart)
Lisa Furst ... Teacher iIn Auditorium (as Lisa Gunn)
Rick Foster ... Railway Police Officer
Marc H. Glick ... P.A. System Conductor
Don Castro ... Philadelphia Police Officer
Bill Chemerka ... Taxi Driver
Jann Ellis ... Older Woman with Dog
Whitney Sugarman ... Passenger
Mary Ellen Driscoll ... Woman Passenger
Greg Wood ... Passenger at Counter
Peter Appel ... Diner Owner
Eoin O'Shea ... Passenger #1
Michael Quinlan ... Passenger #2
Lyman Chen ... Passenger #3
Brian O'Halloran ... Jeep Driver
Megan Mazaika ... Jeep Passenger #1
Rich Chew ... Jeep Passenger #2 (as Richard Chew)
Keith Bullard ... Man in Crowd at Crossroads (as Keith E. Bullard)
Joel de la Fuente ... Realtor
Ashley Brimfield ... Woman in Group
Mara Hobel ... Woman with Hands over Ears
James Breen ... Farmhouse Voice (voice)
Carmen Bitonti ... Mangled Construction Worker
Brian Anthony Wilson ... Arguing Man in Crowd
Greg Smith ... Zoo Employee (as Greg Smith Aldridge)
Ukee Washington ... Local News Anchor
John Ottavino ... Network News Anchor
Sid Doherty ... Radio News Anchor
Wes Heywood ... Radio Voice (voice)
Nancy Sokerka ... Radio Caller Fay
Julia Yorks ... Young Woman Voice on Phone (voice)
Bill Shusta ... Radio Newsman
Kirk Penberthy ... Radio Announcer
Alex Craft ... Truck Passenger Boy
Allie Habberstad ... Truck Passenger Girl

rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Biscardi ... Jogger in the park
Chelsea Connell ... High school student
Michael Den Dekker ... Construction Worker
Tony Devon ... Simon
Robert Fazio ... Young Businessman
Mark Jacobson ... Conductor
Steven J. Klaszky ... Train Conductor #2
Chris McMullin ... School Maintainance Man
Susan Moses ... Sally
Mauricio Ovalle ... Construction crew
Eugene Smith ... Business Man
Robert Bizik ... Train Passenger (uncredited)
Anthony C. Brown ... College Student (uncredited)
Lee Burkett ... Urban Refugee (uncredited)
Richard Graves ... College Student (uncredited)
Thomas M. Hagen ... Nervous Traveler (uncredited)
Michael J. Kraycik ... Businessman (uncredited)
Roberto Lombardi ... Father in Elliot's Group (uncredited)
Art Lyle ... Businessman (uncredited)
Charles Pendelton ... Restroom Patron (uncredited)
Mark Pricskett ... Diner Local (uncredited)
Vincent Riviezzo ... Traveler (uncredited)
Sam Rocco ... Passenger (uncredited)
Christina Sampson ... Train Passenger (uncredited)
Chuck Schanamann ... Businessman (uncredited)
Jennifer Wiener ... Screaming Mother (uncredited)