All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Average User Score: 5 (109 sources)

Submit Movie Review

Review this film

Tell the world what you think of The Happening

Your Score:

reset score

Write Your Review:
When writing your review, remember to keep the language clean.

Submit Review Cancel

diyari

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

a very boring movie.
have no special things about it...
the story is bad too.

Report Abuse

Posted sep 4, 2008 11:28 pm pt

Oceanic_815_

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (2)

A Virus is making people go nuts in "The Happening"! Who needed a virus. The latest M. Night Shymalan film is propably one of the better films I've seen this year. Why the movie is so hated remains up in the air effected by the virus. If...
[+] Read Full Review

A Virus is making people go nuts in "The Happening"! Who needed a virus. The latest M. Night Shymalan film is propably one of the better films I've seen this year. Why the movie is so hated remains up in the air effected by the virus. If there's one thing I've learned from this movie, is stay as far away from trees. Though this movie has it's share of problems, I really did love this movie, and it did keep me at the edge of my seat. Mark Whalberg gives a so so performance as Elliot Moore, a science teacher. He soon becomes involved in a natural disaster where the trees are supposedly rebelling against humans in large groups. People start to lose words, become paralyzed, and kill themselves. Elliot tries to escape the danger zone with his wife Alma, played fairly well by Zooey Deschanel, his best friend Jullian, played very well by John Leguazamo, and Julian's eight year old daughter Jess. Julian leaves the group to go looking for his wife and I think everyone knows the sad fate he meets. When communication has been lost with most of the north eastern border, Elliot, Alma, and Jess survive on theory. The film does start to falter drastically in the third act, and starts getting to nuts like creepy old ladies and depressed cowboys who shoot kids, but I still really enjoyed and was satisfied by the film. The screenplay here is really bad, and definitely isn't winning any awards, but the direction is really good here. M. Night Shymalan in my opinion, and apparently not so many other's, is back in shape.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jul 14, 2008 12:04 pm pt

Mr_Doom212

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

After watching the trailer for The Happening, I was sure that M. Night Shyamalan would redeem himself from his last mess Lady in the Water. I was wrong. The Happening (Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel) is the tale of a high school biology teacher...
[+] Read Full Review

After watching the trailer for The Happening, I was sure that M. Night Shyamalan would redeem himself from his last mess Lady in the Water. I was wrong. The Happening (Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel) is the tale of a high school biology teacher Elliot who witnesses a catastrophic epidemic occurring in the East coast of the United States. Something is making people lose speech, and eventually force them to commit suicide by what ever means. The rest of the film is about Elliot, his wife, and his friend's daughter (among some other survivors) trying to figure out what is happening, and try to get to safety. I will admit, some of the scenes in the film were disturbing, and were somewhat stressful...but it still didn't give that psychological chill factor that his previous efforts made (Sixth Sense, Signs). I found the acting was mediocre at best, and is one of Marky Mark's weakest performances. The movie was unique, I give it that. I haven't really seen a movie with a "killer" such as what was in The Happening. I did not like this movie, but it was certainly not the worst movie I have ever seen (Like many people are saying). 2.5/5

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jul 10, 2008 11:20 pm pt

dennetje

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

It think the movie was OK. Concept of the movie was great. Is there coming a Happening 2, it has a open end!

Report Abuse

Posted jul 6, 2008 10:48 pm pt

MrAbs

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

It a very Dramatic movie with some stressful parts. I didn't enjoy it as much as Lady in the Water, but I found the concept fantastic.

Report Abuse

Posted jun 29, 2008 7:13 am pt

frank_reed

-1

Agree (3)

Disagree (0)

From the concept, to the dialogue, to the characters, to the execution -- this movie was painfully bad and equally painful to watch. I felt so personally insulted by the stupidly of the movie, that I felt morally obligated to produce a parody....
[+] Read Full Review

From the concept, to the dialogue, to the characters, to the execution -- this movie was painfully bad and equally painful to watch. I felt so personally insulted by the stupidly of the movie, that I felt morally obligated to produce a parody. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx16epbyj9g

(Be sure to watch high-quality version)

If pretty much sums up my feelings about the film.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 27, 2008 7:04 am pt

gordosaros

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

WAS NOT REALLY LIKEING THIS MOVIE

Report Abuse

Posted jun 27, 2008 12:42 am pt

AFROCERBERUS

-1

Agree (2)

Disagree (0)

i hated the movie. they were supposed to die in the end and horrible acting.

Report Abuse

Posted jun 26, 2008 4:52 am pt

EBautista

-1

Agree (3)

Disagree (0)

Nature breaks wind in The Happening, the latest stinker from M. Night Shylamayan. Hey, I'm rooting for the guy, I really am, but it's tough when I have to sit through 90 minutes of laughably bad dialogue and acting, an unconvincing plot, and...
[+] Read Full Review

Nature breaks wind in The Happening, the latest stinker from M. Night Shylamayan. Hey, I'm rooting for the guy, I really am, but it's tough when I have to sit through 90 minutes of laughably bad dialogue and acting, an unconvincing plot, and boring characters. As in his last two films, M. Night finds an interesting idea that ultimately fails to deliver on its promise--sort of like writing a 10-page term paper only to realize halfway through that your thesis statement is weak. Note to Mr. S.: Bustling leaves, open windows, and swaying trees can be scary with the right film ingredients ... or an audience of allergy-sufferers.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 24, 2008 5:29 pm pt

Booticon

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (2)

This is the absolute worst of writer/director M. Night Shymalan's work to date. His films are usually so much better, making The Happening seem much worse. All of his subtle genius is absent in this film, as is a coherent storyline. This would...
[+] Read Full Review

This is the absolute worst of writer/director M. Night Shymalan's work to date. His films are usually so much better, making The Happening seem much worse. All of his subtle genius is absent in this film, as is a coherent storyline. This would almost classify as an "Art" film, were it not so obviously bad. The best scenes, much like any of the "Hollywood Box Office" money-grabbing flops that M. Night has risen so far above in his previous work, can be seen in even the shortest trailers for the movie. This film serves no actual purpose other than to rob the viewer of time that can never be replaced. Not good.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 24, 2008 11:18 am pt

• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  83
  An unapologetic B-movie.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  75
  A movie that I find oddly touching. It is no doubt too thoughtful for the summer action season, but I appreciate the quietly realistic way Shyamalan finds to tell a story about the possible death of man.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »
• [+] Miami Herald
  
  75
  Even when his scripts aren't working, Shyamalan knows how to frame shots and build suspense. The Happening, even more than his previous films, has a visual elegance and subtlety that helps to overcome the less successful aspects of the plot.

  by Rene Rodriguez | Read Full Review »
• [+] Film Threat
  
  60
  Whether you're a casual or an ardent follower of M. Night Shyamalan's films, The Happening could alienate or dominate your thinking cap. Remember--it's perfectly acceptable to laugh one second and shriek the next.

  by Stina Chyn | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  60
  A divertingly goofy thriller with an animistic bent, moments of shivery and twitchy suspense and a solid lead performance from Mark Wahlberg.

  by Manohla Dargis | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  50
  It doesn't help that Wahlberg, whose work usually ranges from solid to inspired, is bewildering off-key here, though it may have something to do with playing off Deschanel, who reduces the whole marriage story line to a parody.

  by Carina Chocano | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  50
  The movie seems more like a '50s science fiction film of extreme paranoia or an episode of "The Twilight Zone" that even at a swiftly paced 90 minutes feels padded.

  by Kirk Honeycutt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  50
  In short, this is a Shyamalan movie minus the bravado, the swagger; there are no audacious attempts to pull out the rug from under the audience, no ham-fisted lessons about the importance of religious belief or the power of storytelling.

  by Justin Chang | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  50
  What a bunch of nonsense--effective nonsense, chilling nonsense, occasionally wrenching nonsense, but nonsense nonetheless.

  by Robert Wilonsky | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  50
  Some sure symptoms: The movie demonstrates a smart movie geek's obsession with the rhythms and gory details of horror storytelling, undermined by a pompous insistence on spiritual lessons of the tritest kind.

  by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Read Full Review »
• [+] Philadelphia Inquirer
  
  50
  As for The Happening, his throwback horror flick that plays like "The Birds" meets "The Blob," it's beyond good and evil. It's dumbfounding.

  by Carrie Rickey | Read Full Review »
• [+] San Francisco Chronicle
  
  50
  It's an entertaining movie, which is half the game, but it's not scary, which it should be. Neither is it something to be taken seriously, though it's intended to be.

  by Mick LaSalle | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  50
  Think of the worst Spielberg thriller or one of Hitchcock's dull late career works, then make it ugly and fill it with bad performances; voila: The Happening.

  by Shawn Levy | Read Full Review »
• [+] Christian Science Monitor
  
  50
  Even in a misfire like The Happening, Shyamalan has a fine feeling for dread. He knows how to creep you out. But he has a tin ear for acting.

  by Peter Rainer | Read Full Review »
• [+] NPR
  
  50
  If what audiences are looking for is a thrill ride, or even a pervasive eeriness, The Happening's just not happening.

  by Bob Mondello | Read Full Review »