The HappeningMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

• So-so Based on 15,693 reviews
  Breakdown:

• Sort by: Helpfulness
• Review Date

• No
  Written June 13, 2008

  WHAT HAPPENED???????

  by MOVIES REVIEWER

  I just saw the press screening for this movie by M. Night Shyamalan (writer/producer/director).
  
  The Happening is a NON-event - which is mercifully 90 minutes short.
  It is a lackluster film that seems STUNTED and half-hearted in premise and delivery - and could not blossom beyond the weak script/story - it feels like a dish half-cooked or a meal that smells promising but leaves your palate unsatisfied hungry for something else.
  
  This movie has a totally different feel from M. Night's previous efforts - it has no surprise endings/revelations, and is more gory..... and missing the director's Hitchcock-inspired cameo.
  
  The saving grace is that the movie was competently acted by Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, Ashlyn Sanchez (... um, and over-acted by John Leguizamo).
  
  If you go to see it with high expectations, you will be disappointed.
  
  Recommendation: If you are a M. Night Shyamalan fan - go see it. Otherwise, just wait for the DVD.
  
  Grade: C
  
  

  • 86 out of 111 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 18, 2008

  Worst Movie Ever

  by Sprizzle

  All I can say is that I was embarrassed for the actors on screen, who were completely miscast IMO, and that this movie is the reason why one person should rarely be writer, director, and producer. Worst dialog, carelessly established relationships, and a scenario that wasn't terrifying at all. I went to see it with a friend and we both wondered about 20 minutes into the movie if it was a joke and we were all on hidden camera.
  
  SAVE YOUR MONEY!!

  • 119 out of 190 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Must Go!
  Written June 14, 2008

  A review from someone who understood the movie.

  by travisbarker182

  Alright I am here to give my side of the story. THIS IS A SPOILER SO ONLY READ IF YOU HAVE NOT, HAVE NOT, SEEN THE MOVIE
  Alright well this movie is about how horrible the human race is and how we are killing the planet. The acting was awful...on purpose! This is a satire on the human race. Thats how it is. All of these actors have showing that they are capable of executing terrific performances. The trouble between walberg's character and his wife was petty...because that is how we really are! We blow things out of proportion. This movie is flipping everything. We are killing the earth. Well what if it was turned? The planet has had enough so it starts killing us because of all the negative energy. At the end when the main characters are not killed it is because they forgave each other and changed. They put off positive energy. There is symbolism all over this movie. You cannot judge this at face value. This is how i interpreted it. This movie was executed perfectly.Howelsecoulditend?

  • 38 out of 53 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 13, 2008

  Major Problems

  by factor40

  If you think this was M's chance to redeem himself after Lady In The Water...you're wrong. My impression is that they sent a rough cut to the film lab instead of the final edit. There is nothing entertaining about this movie. The acting, the writing, all of it was a severe disappointment. I felt like I was watching a Sci-Fi Channel original movie on cable TV.
  
  A word to the wise...DO NOT PAY TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!

  • 25 out of 35 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Must Go!
  Written June 13, 2008

  In a word.....Awesome!

  by Killeen_TX_ Mr. Brooks

  Wow,
  
  That was some movie, from beginning to the very end.
  
  The Happening was a real time movie, not slow nor fast paced, without rhythm or reason, it just happened.
  
  Blood and gore is NOT the central theme of this movie.
  
  Death just Happened.
  
  Suicides occur daily in the US, mass suicides (Cape Jones Town/occults) infrequently.
  
  Now imagine, Mass Suicides Randomly Occurring Constantly.
  
  In a word.....Go see it !
  
  Be forewarned; if you like certain Directors, fantasy movies, G-rated movies, senseless gore and violence, well The Happening might not be for you.
  
  Caution: DO NOT TAKE YOUR YOUNG KIDS; THIS MOVIE IS FULL OF SUICIDES.
  

  • 25 out of 35 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• No
  Written June 20, 2008

  Premise is genius...but the ego of director KILLS IT!!!!

  by Chysie01

  OK, this movie has one of the most interesting premises regarding nature versus humans. HOWEVER, the movie lets it all out within the first half of the movie so basically you are left with the 2nd half...with nothing to look forward to. You THINK maybe there is something they haven't told you and is building to some sort of a climax...but at the end- you are left with a lame lame lame lame lame ending. So....NO...i do not recommend this movie! M.Night needs to hire someone else to write his screenplays. He's a HORRIBLE gialogue writer!

  • 16 out of 19 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 14, 2008

  OMG! This movie sucked!!! Can I give it less than an "Oh No"?

  by machenton

  This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen!!! Beginning to end this movie was terrible. I'm an M. Night fan and it's hard to believe he did this. Its got horrible acting and makes Mark Wahlberg look bad, They could of used Donny Wahlberg and it would of been just as lame. The story is stupid, no surprise ending, no character development. I don't even remember anyones names besides Joey and Mrs. Jones. Yes...I said Mrs. Jones and a man you never meet named Joey.
  
  This is my first review I've written on here...I felt compelled to tell everyone not to go watch this and save your money and time. If I can convince one person then I've done a good thing.
  
  Fandango needs a rating below "Oh No" for this movie!
  
  Don't watch it in the theater! Don't even watch it on DVD! If it comes on HBO in 2yrs turn the channel!!

  • 18 out of 23 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Must Go!
  Written June 15, 2008

  Unfortunately I'm going to be in the minority

  by deragun

  After watching the movie, I expected many people wouldn't like it as much as I did, but I didn't expect quite as bad a reaction as most of the people leaving the theater had. This is not a sit back and be entertained movie. It's a movie that's designed to give you a unique mental and emotional experience. And I don't think the majority of movie goers are interested in having to 'work' to fully experience and enjoy this movie.
  
  The choices made were all very thought out to make the events of the movie so personal that it requires introspection and analysis. The way the suicides that are focused on are filmed in a completely different way than the rest of the movie (as if they are home movie footage), the matching of the music to the emotional setting of a scene, the hints (but never obvious disclosure) that emotions are the major topic of the movie...all of these things are perfectly thought and and commendably executed. But as the title says, unfortunately it's not for all.

  • 16 out of 20 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written June 22, 2008

  The happening

  by jennifermomof3

  Plot was not very strong.
  Acting was good.
  I wouldn't see it again.

  • 16 out of 20 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 13, 2008

  M. Night Shyamalan owes me $10

  by Movie_Man_278

  Plan 9 from Outer Space was a better movie then this. What a wast of film. The movie must have been a joke to M Night and the actors. "How bad of a movie can I make and have idiots come out to see it, just because I had one good movie - The Six Sense.". Save your money and clean out your closet instead its a better use of your time.
  
  Mark Wahlberg gets the award for the worst acting. At times he says lines like even he can't believe how badly written this movie is.
  
  M Night should turn in his Directors Guild card ASAP.
  
  I predict this will be out in DVD within a month.

  • 17 out of 22 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• No
  Written June 21, 2008

  If you like a good comedy

  by drumltimate13

  I thought that the movie was completely unbelievable and had no real explanation for "The Happening". Those of you who have already seen it, you know that the excuse they give for it (the plants) is not sufficient enough. Its like writing an essay that has no concrete details. However I believe that if you are a person that likes to make fun of horror movies because you can't be scared of anything, this is the movie for you. The acting was incredibly cheesy and my friend and I laughed out loud for minutes at times because it was so bad. In conclusion however, I don't believe you should waste your money to go see a film that many of us have already screened. Take it from us, there are better, more deserving movies out there to be seen.

  • 11 out of 13 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 14, 2008

  What the H*ll was that?

  by armywife5903

  I am such an M fan. I loved all his movies before: "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", "The Village"... They were all awesome. This movie has serioulsy made me so mad I can't believe it! There was no "BAM!" at the end which I have always loved from his movies...No "O! That 's right!" where your brain opens up and you have to recall things from the beginning of the story. It was just a stupid idea that had no interest to me at all. Such a disapointment. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen the whole movie....BUT NOTHING HAPPENED!! Very mad about this. It's not worth the money.

  • 14 out of 19 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written June 25, 2008

  Are you kidding me?

  by dawnpolan

  The people in the movie get infected and kill themselves I was almost hoping to get infected about 5 minutes into it. This was the worst movie I have seen in many years. Like everyone else that shelled out any money to see this movie, I went to be thrilled and entertained...I was bored and uninterested. M Night is usually brilliant and keeps me guessing. Okay, I was guessing. I was guessing who the heck OK'd this script???? Plants getting revenge on humans? Really? Have we run out of ways to be thrilled that we have to try and convince people that plants communicate and are plotting their revenge? Come on!! About halfway through the movie I was hoping that everyone (including the little girl) would just die already cuz I didn't care! I waited and waited for the twist. Heads up...NO TWIST! NO PLOT! Attn: Mark Wahlberg...Bad decision! It actually made me miss the Marky Mark days!

  • 13 out of 18 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written July 9, 2008

  Worst Movie Ever!!!

  by ahavig

  Do not waste your money, your time or your life going to this giant waste. If you are even think about going I'll save you the time, this is what happens. Everyone kills themselves (cept Mark Wahlberg &the girl) because of plants....PLANTS!, how retarded is that. And to add insult to injury, the acting was terrible, I've seen more convincing performances in porn. terrible. terrible terrible.

  • 13 out of 18 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• No
  Written July 4, 2008

  Don't piss off the trees!!!!!!!

  by AtomicPunk31

  YIKES..... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT...... "his first R rated movie" was he trying to be edgy? Blood spurting out just for the sake of having blood spurting out...... and again.... ENOUGH with the preaching of the Global Warming and treating Earth better crap........ we get it!!!!!!! How bout the waste of paper used to print the script for this piece of crap. His first few movies were awesome..... his last few, well he needs to get over himself... Stop giving us messages and give us a STORY!!!!!! I think even M knew it was junk when he didn't even cast himself in this one!!!!!!

  • 11 out of 15 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No

• Page: 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• More Reviews