The Happening
91 min.
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Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
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Rated R
Contrary to reports, M. Night Shyamalan's latest is not propaganda for intelligent design. That doesn't mean it's any good. Shyamalan's stilted direction aggravates the weirdness of his script, which frequently forces characters to stand around in awkward silence when they should be trying to talk their way out of trouble. Mark Wahlberg gets out with his reputation--such as it is--unscathed, but poor Zooey Deschanel has to spend the whole movie blinking woozily and patting a little girl on the head. Meanwhile, Shyamalan's notion of environmental retribution, symbolized by the not-very-ominous rustling of leaves, starts losing steam the minute it's explained—and that explanation comes so early it can hardly be termed a spoiler. Turns out population density is the enemy of trees. And also grasses. Who would have guessed?
By Annie Wagner
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