Shyamalan, M. Night

Shyamalan's best film. When I first saw this, I thought it was one of the best films I had ever seen.

Better than LADY IN THE WATER and THE VILLAGE, but doesn't touch the likes of THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, and SIGNS.

THE HAPPENING is indeed a minor work from the very inconsistent Shyamalan, but I found myself enjoying it more than I should have by coming to the conclusion that it was a glorified B-movie. It plays like a 90 minute episode of the Twilight zone, and it has a preachy message to match.

The acting and dialogue were pretty awful throughout, but I felt this aided the B-movie feel nicely. The film also has the most moronic and uneven blend of shock and humor (yes...humor) I`ve seen in any film, but somehow it managed to work here (in context ofcourse). I know moviegoers everwhere are going to hate the film for these very reasons, but I admired the film for it`s goofiness,, it`s b-movie charm, and the fact that you never know exactly where it`s going next.

THE HAPPENING is proof that Mr. ``Shyamalamadingdong`` can make an entertaining picture without a twist ending; without jump-scares; and without pretention. It may not be the film he set out to make... hell it may not be the film that many people will expect to see, but in a time when most films in release are dull and by-the-books, THE HAPPENING is neither.

This is where M. Night Shyamalan went down hill.