The Happening

[CAMAROBOY69]

I did a search and couldnt find this movie at all. Just wondering if anyone else saw this? We went to see it over the weekend and it wasnt very good at all. Pretty much what you see in the trailers is the majority of the movie.

 

[Joey D]

Wow that's disappointing, I was sort hoping this would be good since I've liked other M. Night Shyamalan movies. But I just read the synopsis on The Happening and it just sounds like the over did the gore and forgot about the story.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Wow that's disappointing, I was sort hoping this would be good since I've liked other M. Night Shyamalan movies. But I just read the synopsis on The Happening and it just sounds like the over did the gore and forgot about the story.

Actually there was hardly any gore at all. Like I said, what you see in the commercials is pretty much most of the gore in the movie. Most of the stuff was not even shown on camera. You could hear stuff but then the camera panned away. If its going to be a dramatic event I want to see it not pann away from it.
I liked the Village a lot but really did not care for this movie. As strange as it might sound, there were actually quite a few funny parts so it was hard to take the movie serious. They shouldn't have made some of it into a comedy. The Village was intense and more serious through the entire movie. Where the Happening seemed to try and ease the tension with comedy. They should have left it intense and suspensful for the entire film.

 

[Anderton Prime]

Actually, The Village is what ruined Shamalan for me; I believe his greatest work (and only masterpiece) to be Unbreakable.

I won't even bother renting this one; to me, it's on the same level as National Treasure 2.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Actually, The Village is what ruined Shamalan for me; I believe his greatest work (and only masterpiece) to be Unbreakable.

I won't even bother renting this one; to me, it's on the same level as National Treasure 2.

Oh yeah I liked Unbreakable a lot. And National treasure is better than The Happening IMO. I could watch National Treasure again but dont see myself watching The Happening again.

 

[the Interceptor]

Actually, The Village is what ruined Shamalan for me; I believe his greatest work (and only masterpiece) to be Unbreakable.

That's strange, I found Unbreakable to be the weakest film of Shyamalan. The idea was brilliant, but the execution somehow didn't feel right.

 

[Duke]

I've never seen Unbreakable, but I rather enjoyed The Village. Even though I could guess the twist from half a mile out, it was still interesting.

 

[V1P3R]

I don't remember the previews on tv, but I remember them being just as bad as Wanted. Not to mention I don't go purposely to waste my time seeing a scary unrealistic movie (I mean something as ridiculous as Final Destination).

 

[ferrari_chris]

Yes, I've seen it.

From the What movies have you seen lately thread:

The Happening

I went in having read the reviews and expecting it to be crap.

It was crap.

I had a bet with my mate at work, that he would buy me lunch if I stood up halfway through, proclaimed "****, this is a **** movie!" and walked out. But I didn't. There were several opportunities too though.

M. Night Bananarama has failed. Written, directed and produced by him? Well, the writing and direction is poor. And the production too to make a movie with such poor writing and direction. Find another job son.

The storyline is stupid, and the acting absolutely attrocious. The best two are the weird greenhouse keeper guy, and the over zealous Private. I feel like even Wahlberg is dumbing down his ability to match the others. The lead woman is the worst performance by a leading woman I have ever seen.

This should have been straight to TV. And even then it would be bad...

It only gets the rating it does because of the over-the-top violence which was funny.

 

[FoolKiller]

That's strange, I found Unbreakable to be the weakest film of Shyamalan. The idea was brilliant, but the execution somehow didn't feel right.

If there were real superheroes I have a feeling it would be more like Unbreakable. A lot of people walk out wondering how they can have a superhero movie without huge action sequences.

I enjoy a good comic-book style story where it isn't all bright colors and super powered explosive fights (See Watchmen).

That's not to say Wolverine is any less badass though.

I've never seen Unbreakable,

I think you might enjoy it. But just remember it is a suspense drama and not an action film. There will be very little action.

but I rather enjoyed The Village. Even though I could guess the twist from half a mile out, it was still interesting.

Yeah, I guessed it a half minute in. During the opening funeral scene I leaned over and bet my wife how it would end.


Honestly, Shymalan needs to make a bunch of movies without a twist. Perhaps one he didn't write? Show us he can do something else and then after we accept him as well rounded come back and give us a twist we'll never forget. I could enjoy his films much better if I didn't start looking for clues at the beginning. That is what made Sixth Sense so awesome when it was new. You got to the end and most of the audience was caught off guard. You instantly wanted to rewatch to look at all the clues. You question his continuity until you go back and watch it again and realize that he doesn't betray the continuity at all. It was always there, you just didn't see it.

At this point the biggest twist he could put in a movie is to not have a twist.

 

[Joey D]

The lead woman is the worst performance by a leading woman I have ever seen.

I thinks that's just how Zooey is, she was pretty bad in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie as well.

 

[ferrari_chris]

I thinks that's just how Zooey is, she was pretty bad in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie as well.

Yikes! And I thought it was hard to get into Hollywood.

"Who do I have to sleep with to get a job around here?..."

 

[niky]

She's not a terrible actress, actually... and she's been around for quite a long while.

I was wondering whether or not to watch this... hovering around "not", then I read all the reviews. I think I'll wait for HBO.

I felt that "Unbreakable" wasn't that bad. Certainly great in sections. The "twist" ending really isn't the worst thing about it, but the actual execution of the twist ending made you want to throw popcorn (bin and all) at the screen. It was worse than those cheesy 80's comedy outros. The movie was a 10/10 at the beginning... 8/10 halfway through... maybe 8.5/10 at the climax... then a solid 6/10 at the very end. Way to let an audience down.

"The Village", even though it was as predictable as hell, even down to the motivations of the characters, was much better done than some of Shaymalan's other incomprehensible movies.

"Signs"... no, I simply can't accept a movie that foregoes all sense of logic to make a philosophical point.

Sucks for Shaymalan... his first movie is still, far and away, his best.

 

[Pupik]

Seems like another rental; however, I thought The Village was pretty good despite the panning it received. Of course, that may have helped; it meant looking out for what wasn't expected (if that makes any sense). No, I didn't expect the plot twist.

Unbreakable was also pretty good, although rather similar to the Sixth Sense (same Bruce Willis, sort of a reversal of actor for the role of lead character). It's also one of the few times the deleted scenes actually added something to the movie, in my opinion. But the last 30 seconds of the movie turned it from greatness to goodness.

Signs was like a TV movie: Lots of build-up with no substance. 'Shoulda been hit with a bat.

 

[Duke]

My wife just watched Unbreakable last night and hated it. She didn't discuss plot in case I watch it later, but she hated the way the ending was handled.

In Sixth Sense, the twist was great, but it didn't blindside you. It made logical sense so that you instantly smacked your forehead and said Of course! The clues were there. But a plot twist is just a cheap gimmick if it comes out of nowhere and you had no way to ever guess it beforehand.

 

[FoolKiller]

My wife just watched Unbreakable last night and hated it. She didn't discuss plot in case I watch it later, but she hated the way the ending was handled.

In Sixth Sense, the twist was great, but it didn't blindside you. It made logical sense so that you instantly smacked your forehead and said Of course! The clues were there. But a plot twist is just a cheap gimmick if it comes out of nowhere and you had no way to ever guess it beforehand.

In all honesty, in Unbreakable, if you like comic books enough to know how they work, it makes 100% sense.

But if you are not a geek and just go by what the movie presents to you it is completely out of nowhere.

 

[Tornado]

I thought the plot twist in Unbreakable was logical and well thought out, but it was how the movie ended itself that blindsided you. It was so abrupt it was as if they lost the actual ending in an editing mistake and just released the movie anyways. You can't have a great setup for a sequel when the movie itself won't be mainstream enough to warrant one. This ballsy move was when I started hating Shyamalan movies (that and their increasingly terrible quality).

I thought Signs was just stupid through and through, I was indifferent to The Village and never bothered with Lady in the Water.

 

[Diego440]

Even though I could guess the twist from half a mile out, it was still interesting.

Wow and I thought I was farsighted

M. Night watchamacallit kills every movie he acts in.