If I told you exactly what I discovered about M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming supernatural thriller The Happening, you would understand the reason for this article’s title. A reviewer who read the shooting script at Gone Elsewhere claimed The Happening demonstrated that “M. Night had hit rock bottom,” adding that the movie features “the most moronic environmentalism in cinema history”.

He went on to say that the script contains numerous unintentional laugh out loud moments and that "The late night comedy guys are going to have a field day. It will be Christmas in July for the Shyamalan detractors of the world."

Unfortunately, after reading exactly what the movie was about in the script review, I'd have to agree. Given that M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed what I think are two of the best science fiction and fantasy movies of the last decade, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, this wasn’t what I was hoping for.

Starring Bruce Willis and Toni Collette,The Sixth Sense arguably featured the best twist in movie history, while the underrated Unbreakable pitted an indestructible Bruce Willis against a fragile Samuel L. Jackson in an expertly crafted comic book tale with an equally surprising ending.

The Happening stars Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher (Elliot Moore) with Zooey Deschanel as his estranged wife (Alma Moore) and John Leguizamo as Julian, Elliot’s close friend. Without revealing exactly what the plot is really about (there's a link to the script review at the end of the article if you want it) the movie tells the story of a family on the run from an apocalyptic crisis that threatens humanity. The threat appears to be an airborne virus that causes people to commit suicide. On the face of it, the world wide threat theme appears similar to what Shyamalan attempted in his third movie Signs.

Known for his stubbornness when it comes to making movies his own way, M. Night Shyamalan apparently took the unusual step of undertaking an extensive rewrite after meeting various studio heads. In the end, Shyamalan signed up with Fox. Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Tom Rothman, was enthusiastic about the project. "Tom felt strongly about making this my first R rated picture," said Shyamalan. "We talked about trying to get the intensity that is present in Silence of the Lambs".

While it may seem premature to cast aspersions on a movie that has yet to make its way into the cinema, if you read the script review and discover "exactly" what the story is about, and given what seems to be the gradual reduction in M. Night Shyamalan’s directorial and scripting powers over time, it's not looking promising. Compared to his first two movies, Signs and theThe Village were mediocre at best, and his last release, The Lady in the Water, terrible. They lacked the polish and flair of the first two movies and seemed pale by comparison.

If you would like to read the script review, and in particular some of the plot details that produced such strong reactions in the script reviewer and myself, you can find it here, but remember there are major spoilers.

Let's hope this movie doesn’t demonstrate that M. Night Shyamalan has hit rock bottom, but the signs aren’t good.

Filmed in Philadelphia,The Happening has a budget of US$57 million and will be released on June 13, 2008.The first trailer from M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening is out and you can visit the official website here.

UPDATE!

You can now read SFFMedia's review of The Happening here

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The Sixth Sense was the only winner
written by Slider, March 17, 2008

Actually, The Sixth Sense was the only good one, even Unbreakable was rubbish. Too sentimental and slow. Didn't understand what Samuel L Jackson was doing in it either. Waste of talent. If Shyamalan can make a film that's as good as The Sixth Sense, fine, if not, forget about it.

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Signs and The Village were great!!
written by Webster, March 17, 2008

I thought Signs and the Village were two of his best films! "Mediocre at best" is way too harsh.

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Just took a look at the script review...
written by Tam, March 17, 2008

Have to admit it looks pretty disappointing, which is a shame because I thought "Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" were fantastic. "The Happening" seems like a rehash of "Signs" which I wasn't a real fan of, with the same unconvincing stretches in the plot.

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Re: Signs and The Village were great!
written by F.O. Noddy, March 18, 2008

Webster, have you been lobotomised? Blink twice for "Yes".

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never left rock bottom
written by ms, March 18, 2008

His movies aren't all that bad, and they aren't all that good either. I would never say Sixth Sense was one of the best movies of the decade, gimme a break. I think it's more like, some people have over-inflated the guy in the first place, and now, big surprise have grown up and want more.

Many of us were already grown-ups and we realized that pretty much all his movies were "meh, that was ok." If this next one is good, no complaints here, and if it's bad..still no complaints. Mature reviewers don't sit around pondering if somebody has lost their juice. That's just too stupid to even consider.

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...
written by L, May 03, 2008

The first time I saw the Village, I thought it sucked. It was a huge build up to nothing! The end was a cop out! But then I had a few days to sit with it and I actually think it's a damn good movie now. A great love story... the scene with Joaquin on that girls porch... every girl melted!

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Some people are just too stu...I mean simple...
written by Jaime G., May 23, 2008

If you do not understand that Signs was an alien movie that really wasn't about aliens but the nature of doubt and faith; if you do not understand that the Village was a 'monster' movie not really about monsters but rather the non-existence of innocence in history and humanity; if you do not undertand that Lady in the Water was not about a lady in the water but rather a microcosm of the different races/faiths of the earth, represented by the tenants of the apartment building, coming together in a film mainly about healing of bodies, souls and the earth; if you have no idea what direct and indirect symbolism, pathetic fallacy and how to gradually deconstruct a film while watching it: a) the first time and b) subsequent viewings, please go and see a film in a) the American Pie series or 2) directed by Roland Emmerich. Shyamalan is clearly not for you...

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...
written by victoria g, June 05, 2008

there are only a handful of films that unfold slowly allowing the viewer to think deeply. the majority of films rely on stereotypes, bodily functions and sounds to bring in receipts. mks is a storyteller. and to be a witness to the story, requires quiet and patience.

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Hoping for good things
written by Ray, June 12, 2008

I hope this film restores his lustre in his films, 6th sense, great film, Signs, Loved it, the Village great twist, his last one stunk big time so I am hoping for good things in this however if the details relating to the plot are true then we 'may' be in for another yawn fest. I would love to see him get one together around some urban myths or so ancient legends, I think he is suited for that: fingers crossed

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Jaime G. was on the money
written by Steve, June 12, 2008

to be honest after seeing The Village, i was shocked that as many people didnt like at as there were, but then again i guess i wouldnt have liked it either if i expected a standard monster movie and not something more. its just ironic how hollywood shovels out a HUNDRED of crappy movies a year, making a trip to the movie theater like a walk through a minefield. at least with his movies i know im seeing something original..something he put his heart into..as opposed to some cash cow movie. but to be fair, his films do seem to follow the same kind of formula...but unlike a lot of people i do not consider that a bad thing. His movies require a whole different level of thinking..its like with each one of his films he challenges you to see the whole picture, and i love that.

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The worst movie in years
written by Gerard, June 15, 2008

(Warning - spoilers) The Happening is without a doubt the worst movie I have seen in years. At best it was an idea for a movie, but the script failed entirely to realise that idea. The dialogue and acting were quite literally and unintentionally laughable. For a while I thought that perhaps the acting was stylised, that Shyamalan was maybe using the actors to convey something subtle and clever, but no, it was just crap acting and awful direction. Though god only knows how any actor would be expected to work with the appalling dialogue and failure by Shyamalan to instil his characters and their relationships with an ounce of psychological truth. Within half an hour I was rooting for the trees. Wipe everyone out, I was praying - then it'll be over and we can go home! Maybe Shyamalan's other movies had more substance (although from first to most recent that's increasingly debatable - don't mistake style for substance) - but this one has no depth and nothing whatsoever to recommend it (except maybe for the unintentional laughs).

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