Post by wdm0744 on Oct 17, 2008 16:33:37 GMT -5
Like Cain, who murdered his brother, Abel, and was marked by God so that none would lay a hand on him, I too may now be marked as a pariah on this site, because I have written here a somewhat positive review of film proclaimed by the mutants at large to be one of “the worst of the worst”, and a “100-pound stinker”.
First of all, it must be said that “The Happening” is not a good movie. It’s not going to win any awards, it’s not going to engender a cult following, and it is not going to do Mr. Shyamalan any favors. This film doesn’t offer him the cinematic redemption that so many of his disenchanted fans, like me, were hoping it would. In fact, Shyamalan’s career, as we know it, is probably over. As it should be. After all, the lack of outside creative input flowing into his projects and the purported inflation of his ego cannot sustain three solid critical and commercial failures in a row.
Having said all of this, however, I must say that “The Happening” is not a complete and utter failure. There is good in this film. I certainly don’t feel the kind of hatred for it that I did for “Lady in the Water”. As hard as it may be to see through the cloud of outrageous dialogue, bland characters, and clunky plotting, there is still a glimmer of genius (perhaps too strong a word) buried deep within.
“The Happening” begins with a pair of scenes that are eerily reminiscent of September 11th, in which a peaceful, sunny morning is turned upside down when people throughout Manhattan become confused and disoriented before using any means at hand to efficiently commit suicide.
Unsure of what is going on, a Philadelphia teacher (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife (Zooey Deschanel) decide to leave the city. Joined by a fellow teacher (John Leguizamo) and his young daughter, they take a train to the Pennsylvania country. As the mass suicides spread across the east coast, the group becomes stranded, and when Leguizamo ventures alone to Princeton to find his wife, Wahlberg and Deschanel are tasked with protecting his daughter from a world that has turned against the human race.
On a purely objective and technical level, there is more wrong than right in “The Happening”. The film’s basic premise, however, is a good one. I will try to stay away from spoilers as much as possible in this review, but it is probably common knowledge by now that, while no clear explanation for the event depicted in the film is given, one theory, namely that plants are releasing a toxin that is causing their greatest natural enemy to destroy themselves, is given prominence.
I’m not sure how plausible this is, and while I may not agree with the sort of political and social statement that the film ends up promoting, I can at least say that the idea is fairly unique and intriguing. However, great ideas can be felled by poor execution, and that is, unfortunately, the state of affairs presented here.
The casting is questionable. Mark Wahlberg could pass for a teacher if he were given a plausible back story. This is Marky Mark we’re talking about here, after all. Something like, he had led a rough life on the streets of Philly, but miraculously turned his life around and is now giving back to the community and helping the children of the next generation.
That could have worked, but instead, we are given next to no background for the character, and it ends up being played rather flat. The main problem for me, and this is not Wahlberg’s fault really, was that I had recently seen Andy Sandberg’s impression of Wahlberg talking to farm animals on SNL, and therefore, I had real trouble taking anything he said seriously.
Zooey Deschanel, as an actress, is truly appealing in her quirkiness. Unfortunately, she is given the same blank character canvas on which to draw as Wahlberg. We’re supposed to understand that the couple is experiencing marital strife because Deschanel has trouble expressing her emotions. Yet, instead of coming off as aloof, she comes across as spaced out. This could have worked given more, but the script is extremely stingy.
That brings up a second problem. The plotting is uneven and unbalanced. This never felt like a complete film or a complete narrative, but instead reminded me of a “stream of consciousness” type of writing. It’s not all bad, really. There are parts of the film that work. There’s a scene in a Jeep as a group survivors surveys Princeton that works very well. There’s a section in the middle of the film in which a group of survivors meet at a crossroads that was filmed well and seemed realistic. Towards the end, the reconciliation between Wahlberg and Deschanel is sweet and affecting. On the other hand, there’s a crazy lady thrown in for the sake of having a crazy lady. Also, the film is book ended by sections that I thought were very week.
The opening scenes did not live up to the advertising. Truth is, it just isn’t that scary to see someone commit suicide onscreen. It’s disturbing, sure, and in this film, it’s eerie, but it wasn’t as effective as it could have been. Maybe if the mass suicides had indeed been mass suicides, it would have helped. But, in truth, we only see one person kill themselves on screen at a time.
However, I must say that I was impressed with Shyamalan’s restraint. “The Happening” was not the bloodbath I was expecting, and I think it was all the more effective for it. Even the advertised “death by giant lawnmower” was relatively bloodless. In fact, the least effective death was also the most gory (although this could have been the fault of a bad special effect) and the most effective (for me, anyway) didn’t even occur onscreen.
The ending was a major letdown. It’s as if Shyamalan simply ran out of ideas and stopped filming, and this just reinforces the “stream of consciousness” feel. There’s an absolutely abysmal deux ex machina in the finale that had me quoting MST3K’s Crow: “If this works, I am going to spank you, movie!” There’s no real resolution, and the film’s last frame closes on a rather lame morality play.
Finally, the dialogue is an extremely varied lot. Some of it is well-written and fairly amusing. I thought Deschanel’s movie references were clever and I even kind of liked the infamous “cough syrup” speech. Most of it however, falls flat like a fat kid on broken stilts. The major offender, for me, was the “hot dog” speech, but other perpetrators abound.
It doesn’t help that the dialogue is, more often than not, delivered poorly. Shyamalan is a great shot director, but he really does his actors a disservice. At least he has dropped the whole somber whispering and wooden postures he forced in his previous films, but he still can’t seem to illicit realistic performances. The actors often react wrongly and exposition is delivered with a real lack of subtly.
As you can see, I am at overlong and humorless pains to assure you that I do need appreciate and understand why this film has been tossed to the mutant trash heap. Okay, so consider all of what you’ve read up until this point to be a preface to what I am going to say now: Despite its flaws, I enjoyed “The Happening”.
I went in with no expectations and I was able to avoid disappointment and enjoy the parts that were worthwhile. Mostly, this was because I could really relate to the main characters. I’ve always been a fan of “survival films”, and this connection to the protagonists is an essential part of the genre’s formula. I could identify with Wahlberg’s desire to reconcile with his wife, renew their marriage, and cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship between them. There’s a real sweetness and idealism to the love story here.
I could also identify with Wahlberg’s desperation, confusion, and his attempts to react rationally when rationality seems to have been thrown out the window. I could especially relate to a husband and wife who, though childless themselves, are determined to survive and to protect a child placed in their care like she was their own. I saw myself and my wife in these characters. Not to an extreme extent – we’re very different people and a very different couple – but there was a similarity there in the margins.
I would even go so far as to say that, in a similar situation, I would have planned and reacted the same way that Wahlberg’s character does in this film. I didn’t believe that his actions were, on the whole, stupid or irrational. I thought they were realistic. I do, however, take exception with two of his decisions towards the end of the film; one of which is irresponsible, while the other is simply insane and seems to contradict everything we have learned about his character up to that point.
Ultimately, despite its grave flaws, “The Happening”, does, I believe, deliver at least a measure of redemption. There were moments, however brief, that reminded me of why I loved Shyamalan’s earlier films. While I’ve given up on George Lucas, I’m still holding out hope that Shyamalan will realize his folly, relinquish his hubris, collaborate with talented writers and producers, and eventually realize his potential as a director.
First of all, it must be said that “The Happening” is not a good movie. It’s not going to win any awards, it’s not going to engender a cult following, and it is not going to do Mr. Shyamalan any favors. This film doesn’t offer him the cinematic redemption that so many of his disenchanted fans, like me, were hoping it would. In fact, Shyamalan’s career, as we know it, is probably over. As it should be. After all, the lack of outside creative input flowing into his projects and the purported inflation of his ego cannot sustain three solid critical and commercial failures in a row.
Having said all of this, however, I must say that “The Happening” is not a complete and utter failure. There is good in this film. I certainly don’t feel the kind of hatred for it that I did for “Lady in the Water”. As hard as it may be to see through the cloud of outrageous dialogue, bland characters, and clunky plotting, there is still a glimmer of genius (perhaps too strong a word) buried deep within.
“The Happening” begins with a pair of scenes that are eerily reminiscent of September 11th, in which a peaceful, sunny morning is turned upside down when people throughout Manhattan become confused and disoriented before using any means at hand to efficiently commit suicide.
Unsure of what is going on, a Philadelphia teacher (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife (Zooey Deschanel) decide to leave the city. Joined by a fellow teacher (John Leguizamo) and his young daughter, they take a train to the Pennsylvania country. As the mass suicides spread across the east coast, the group becomes stranded, and when Leguizamo ventures alone to Princeton to find his wife, Wahlberg and Deschanel are tasked with protecting his daughter from a world that has turned against the human race.
On a purely objective and technical level, there is more wrong than right in “The Happening”. The film’s basic premise, however, is a good one. I will try to stay away from spoilers as much as possible in this review, but it is probably common knowledge by now that, while no clear explanation for the event depicted in the film is given, one theory, namely that plants are releasing a toxin that is causing their greatest natural enemy to destroy themselves, is given prominence.
I’m not sure how plausible this is, and while I may not agree with the sort of political and social statement that the film ends up promoting, I can at least say that the idea is fairly unique and intriguing. However, great ideas can be felled by poor execution, and that is, unfortunately, the state of affairs presented here.
The casting is questionable. Mark Wahlberg could pass for a teacher if he were given a plausible back story. This is Marky Mark we’re talking about here, after all. Something like, he had led a rough life on the streets of Philly, but miraculously turned his life around and is now giving back to the community and helping the children of the next generation.
That could have worked, but instead, we are given next to no background for the character, and it ends up being played rather flat. The main problem for me, and this is not Wahlberg’s fault really, was that I had recently seen Andy Sandberg’s impression of Wahlberg talking to farm animals on SNL, and therefore, I had real trouble taking anything he said seriously.
Zooey Deschanel, as an actress, is truly appealing in her quirkiness. Unfortunately, she is given the same blank character canvas on which to draw as Wahlberg. We’re supposed to understand that the couple is experiencing marital strife because Deschanel has trouble expressing her emotions. Yet, instead of coming off as aloof, she comes across as spaced out. This could have worked given more, but the script is extremely stingy.
That brings up a second problem. The plotting is uneven and unbalanced. This never felt like a complete film or a complete narrative, but instead reminded me of a “stream of consciousness” type of writing. It’s not all bad, really. There are parts of the film that work. There’s a scene in a Jeep as a group survivors surveys Princeton that works very well. There’s a section in the middle of the film in which a group of survivors meet at a crossroads that was filmed well and seemed realistic. Towards the end, the reconciliation between Wahlberg and Deschanel is sweet and affecting. On the other hand, there’s a crazy lady thrown in for the sake of having a crazy lady. Also, the film is book ended by sections that I thought were very week.
The opening scenes did not live up to the advertising. Truth is, it just isn’t that scary to see someone commit suicide onscreen. It’s disturbing, sure, and in this film, it’s eerie, but it wasn’t as effective as it could have been. Maybe if the mass suicides had indeed been mass suicides, it would have helped. But, in truth, we only see one person kill themselves on screen at a time.
However, I must say that I was impressed with Shyamalan’s restraint. “The Happening” was not the bloodbath I was expecting, and I think it was all the more effective for it. Even the advertised “death by giant lawnmower” was relatively bloodless. In fact, the least effective death was also the most gory (although this could have been the fault of a bad special effect) and the most effective (for me, anyway) didn’t even occur onscreen.
The ending was a major letdown. It’s as if Shyamalan simply ran out of ideas and stopped filming, and this just reinforces the “stream of consciousness” feel. There’s an absolutely abysmal deux ex machina in the finale that had me quoting MST3K’s Crow: “If this works, I am going to spank you, movie!” There’s no real resolution, and the film’s last frame closes on a rather lame morality play.
Finally, the dialogue is an extremely varied lot. Some of it is well-written and fairly amusing. I thought Deschanel’s movie references were clever and I even kind of liked the infamous “cough syrup” speech. Most of it however, falls flat like a fat kid on broken stilts. The major offender, for me, was the “hot dog” speech, but other perpetrators abound.
It doesn’t help that the dialogue is, more often than not, delivered poorly. Shyamalan is a great shot director, but he really does his actors a disservice. At least he has dropped the whole somber whispering and wooden postures he forced in his previous films, but he still can’t seem to illicit realistic performances. The actors often react wrongly and exposition is delivered with a real lack of subtly.
As you can see, I am at overlong and humorless pains to assure you that I do need appreciate and understand why this film has been tossed to the mutant trash heap. Okay, so consider all of what you’ve read up until this point to be a preface to what I am going to say now: Despite its flaws, I enjoyed “The Happening”.
I went in with no expectations and I was able to avoid disappointment and enjoy the parts that were worthwhile. Mostly, this was because I could really relate to the main characters. I’ve always been a fan of “survival films”, and this connection to the protagonists is an essential part of the genre’s formula. I could identify with Wahlberg’s desire to reconcile with his wife, renew their marriage, and cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship between them. There’s a real sweetness and idealism to the love story here.
I could also identify with Wahlberg’s desperation, confusion, and his attempts to react rationally when rationality seems to have been thrown out the window. I could especially relate to a husband and wife who, though childless themselves, are determined to survive and to protect a child placed in their care like she was their own. I saw myself and my wife in these characters. Not to an extreme extent – we’re very different people and a very different couple – but there was a similarity there in the margins.
I would even go so far as to say that, in a similar situation, I would have planned and reacted the same way that Wahlberg’s character does in this film. I didn’t believe that his actions were, on the whole, stupid or irrational. I thought they were realistic. I do, however, take exception with two of his decisions towards the end of the film; one of which is irresponsible, while the other is simply insane and seems to contradict everything we have learned about his character up to that point.
Ultimately, despite its grave flaws, “The Happening”, does, I believe, deliver at least a measure of redemption. There were moments, however brief, that reminded me of why I loved Shyamalan’s earlier films. While I’ve given up on George Lucas, I’m still holding out hope that Shyamalan will realize his folly, relinquish his hubris, collaborate with talented writers and producers, and eventually realize his potential as a director.
)
"If I'm going to be desensitized into a mindless stock animal, I may as well do it with a cushy ergonomic seat and magnificent THX-certified sound. -Kevin Murphy
