The Happening [DVD] [2008]

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• This item: The Happening [DVD] [2008] DVD ~ Zooey Deschanel

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Amazon.co.uk Review
You'd expect the end of the world to be no day in the park, but in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, a day in the park is where the end begins. One otherwise peaceful summer morning, New Yorkers strolling in Central Park come to a halt in unison, then begin killing themselves by any means at hand. At a high-rise construction site a few blocks over, it's raining bodies as workers step off girders into space. And all the while, the city is so quiet you can hear the gentle breeze in the trees. That breeze carries a neurotoxin, and what or who put it there (terrorists?) is a question raised periodically as the film unfolds. But the question that really matters is how and whether anybody in the Middle Atlantic states is going to stay alive.

The Happening is Shyamalan's best film since The Sixth Sense, partly because he avoids the kind of egregious misjudgment that derailed The Village and Lady in the Water, but mostly because the whole thing has been structured and imagined to keep faith with the point of view of regular, unheroic folks confronted with a mammoth crisis. Focal characters are a Philadelphia high-school science teacher (Mark Wahlberg, excellent), his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and math-teacher colleague (John Leguizamo), and the latter’s little girl (Ashlyn Sanchez). Instinct says get out of the cities and move west; most of the film takes place in the delicately picturesque Pennsylvania countryside, with menace hovering somewhere in the haze. There are no special effects (apart from a wind machine and some breakaway glass), but the movie manages to be deeply unsettling in the matter-of-factness of its storytelling. Especially effective is its feel for what we might call the surrealism of banality. One warning sign that someone has been infected by the neurotoxin is irrational or erratic speech and behavior, yet Shyamalan has a genius for dialogue that sounds normal and everyday as it's spoken, yet flies apart grenade-like a second later as its logic (or illogic) sinks in. Then there's Deschanel's eye-rolling dodginess about the messages some guy has been leaving on her cellphone. Or the fellow (Frank Collis) who addresses his greenhouse plants as though they were his children--has a stray toxic zephyr wafted his way, or is this just his idea of normal? --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com

Synopsis
In THE HAPPENING, M. Night Shyamalan serves up a slice of apocalyptic strangeness. The film opens onto New York City's Central Park with a crowd of people enjoying an idyllic summer day. The carefree scene soon takes a terrifying turn, when out of nowhere, hordes of people begin to commit suicide en masse. People scramble to make sense of the pandemonium, and many believe it is a terrorist attack. It appears that some sort of deadly toxin is being released into the air. Cut to Elliot (Mark Wahlberg), a science teacher in Philadelphia. When he learns of the attack on New York, he meets up with his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), his friend Julian (John Leguizamo), and Julians's daughter, Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez). They make plans to get out of the city via train, but the train is evacuated in the middle of a small Pennsylvania town. When they learn that the mysterious toxin is spreading its way across the Northeast, they break up into groups, with Elliot, Alma, and Jess running through open farmland in search of safety. They are unsure of where to hide, or what exactly they are hiding from, until Elliot slowly forms a theory about the threat. He fights to keep Alma and Jess free from harm, and the film builds to a bizarre, unsettling climax.
Shyamalan's premise of escaping an unknown, unexplainable attack is a timely one, and is quite chilling in concept. THE HAPPENING succeeds in creating the frenzied scariness of THE BIRDS, combined with the outlandish death scenes and unusual plot line found in B-movie classics. For fans of campy horror in the vein of THE EVIL DEAD, it is truly something to behold.

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53 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:  (8) 2 star:  (9) 1 star:  (24)           Average Customer Review 2.3 out of 5 stars (53 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   12 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars lawnmower Man, 16 Oct 2008 By  P. Bessell "The better you look the more you see" (Exeter) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    So, I finally saw this film last night; and to be honest it wasn't that bad. Even before it was released, the whole movie-watching-world seemed hell-bent on taking this film down, and that they did; I've read review after review and each one is more slating than the last. One of the reasons for this is because people aren't reviewing the film...they're reviewing M. Night, it would seem that the movie-watching- world are peeved that his latter films haven't hit the mark of his first two(three, Signs rocks) and for this his films get completely over-scrutinised. I mean it really is a shame that people couldn't give Lady in the Water more of a chance, because I really did see a lot of heart in that film. Is it happening...Okay so it's been said but, the acting in this film is bad! But remember this...the actors are only as good as the director and the director is only as good as the scrip, it's a shame when a bit part (old woman in house) out acts both the leads, but the main problem here is the dialogue...there is none, no banter, no improv' just weak characters with little to say. The films only saving grace is the, somewhat, shocking imagery...and the part where those two geeky kids get shot. All in all I enjoyed watching this film, mainly because it gave me so many laughs...oh and that thing about the bees is true...if they all died the whole human race would be wiped out within four years. Comment Comments (3) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Stop Moaning, 29 May 2009 By  Kevin Wilson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This isnt the best film ever, it isnt the worst film ever. It isnt Shyalaman's best (let's face it, he'll never better 6th Sense), but its a long way from his worst. He's made bad mistakes in his career, mostly in trying to match the killer, once in a generation twist of 6th Sense, but its for that that he's owed a little more consideration than some of the knee-jerk antagonistic nihilism on display here. I havent personally rated any of his subsequent films taken as a whole, however, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village featured well structured and highly intriguing premises let down by poorly thought through conclusions. This movie is the latest in a spate of Hollywood end of the world scenarios, and its a highly original and well executed take on the genre. This movie is being written off as part of Shyalamans continuing artistic decline, but the characterisation doesnt fit and isnt fair. If this had followed 6th Sense it would be being judged far more favourably. If you like the end of the world genre (as I do), try and view without prejudice, its his most 'complete' film since his first, and its not bad at all. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   10 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Surely as mis-titled a movie as there has been in a while..., 29 Dec 2008 By  Mr. Stephen Kennedy "skenn1701a" (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       It's a B-movie. No other word to describe it. And as a non-intellectual throw-away B-movie, it's not that bad. However it comes laden with expectation - it's a Shymalayan movie - so what's the hook, and what's the twist! Well, the hook is that mysterious deaths start occurring in the NE of the United States. Confusion reigns, as the news alternates between fear this is a terrorist attack, to the gradual realization this is.. well, just in case you haven't seen it yet I won't spoil the only `surprise' in the movie. But wait, there IS another surprise - when did Mark Wahlberg become such a dismal actor! The lines, the delivery, the timing, everything is just what you'd expect from a poorly edited 70's grindhouse movie. Can he be doing it deliberately as an in-joke? If so, the jokes on him because its cringe-worthy. If you can just take it at a B-movie level, you might get some satisfaction - because there isn't anything else to enjoy in the movie. The director has lost his flair for the gradual reveal, the careful structure, and the cinematic tools as storytelling devices.. it's a movie that is no more then the lowest denominator you might expect a movie with a plot like this to have. The extras talk much about how this was the director's exciting foray into the world of an adult rating. And true, some of the deaths are disconcerting, and yes, there is maybe one cheap shock to be had, but sadly it's all so straightforward, and lacks any impact, except the occasional moment of impact as you hit the wall with your head at the ineptitude. As for the twist - there is none. It's just one of those movies that you keep thinking it will go somewhere and it goes on, and on.. then.. sort of ends. And that's it. Extras - deleted scenes are more of the same, gag reel is not as funny as some of the actual lines in the movie, featurettes are slight and frustratingly broken up into 5 to 10 minute chunks. Perhaps the movie might have been better if it had the same done to it. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 53 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars original story but does not "awe" you like his earlier films The storyline is very original, like most of his films, but it doesn't have the surprise of 'The Sixth Sense' and the suspense of 'Signs'. Read more Published 4 days ago by Richard Almasi 1.0 out of 5 stars Do not even bother !!!! Let me start by saying i am a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan, i loved all his previous films, 6th sense, signs, unbreakable, this film however is one of the worst films i have ever... Read more Published 15 days ago by Snovgras 1.0 out of 5 stars Almost as bad as lady in the lake I wasn't impressed - the first few minutes seemed promising but then it descended into the ridiculous. Its difficult to take seriously demonic grasses rustling in the wind. Read more Published 27 days ago by Shell 3.0 out of 5 stars Starts well, ends badly As the film started I thought I was watching a Zombie movie but quickly realised how mistaken I was. Read more Published 1 month ago by Svenski 1.0 out of 5 stars The answer my friend is blowing in the wind If we are to believe the premise of M Night Shymalans latest The Happening Mother Nature is extremely ticked off at us humans and wants us gone. Read more Published 1 month ago by russell clarke 1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, awful film This is the worst film I have ever seen. And I've seen some mediocre films in my time. Stong words, I know.... Read more Published 1 month ago by Tristan Squire 3.0 out of 5 stars I like M. Night Shyamalan.....really I do. I think. He gets more criticism than most directors around and I have to say he brings it upon himself. Yes, we were all very suprised and pleased with 'The 6th Sense' and 'Unbreakable'... Read more Published 2 months ago by Billy Langsworthy 2.0 out of 5 stars People falling out the sky... This film had one of the most terrifying and intriguing film trailers I'd seen in a long time - people falling out the sky and no explanation as to why... Read more Published 2 months ago by Miss K 1.0 out of 5 stars Awful As has come to be expected with Shyamalan's movies this is surrounded by mystery - the true mystery in this film isn't in the script but the fact it was ever made at all. Read more Published 2 months ago by S. Clarke 5.0 out of 5 stars Edge of your seat! Love this man's films - this is no exception, we were hooked within 5 mins!!! Published 3 months ago by Jenifer Jones Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 53 customer reviews...

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