Show The Happening an Happening an uninspired event Diana Joy Jones Arts Reporter Civilians become disoriented stop dead in their tracks and perform ritualistic suicides in The Happening Some pull the trigger others jump jumpoff jumpoff jumpoff off buildings or hang themselves from trees In one case a bewildered man chooses to start up a lawn lawnmower lawnmower lawnmower mower and lay down in its path Much 1 like ike The Invasion or War of Worlds slews of individuals evacuate their homes and run amok in attempt to evade the strange phenomenon Main characters Elliot Moore Mark Wahlberg and his wife Alma are at odds Alma explains that she ate tiramisu t with another man and feels her husband ought to know should they die Later Elliot rebuttals her confession with his own scandalous story involving a trip to the pharmacy He reveals he was tempted to buy cough syrup in order to get closer to the attractive woman behind the counter While the couple settle their rift and continue on their mission to survive feel viewers viewers' may begin to the popcorn churn chum in their stomachs Most of the acting is over the top A creepy old lady J 91 shakes her fist and yells at Elliot her eyes popping out of her head An anxiety ridden military man paces on a dirt road and gives muddled directions The movies movie's tone is uneven There are times when The Happening feels as though it is a serious horror film Few moments shadow M. M Night movies of the past The Sixth Sense and Signs where horrific moments are more implied In one such scene the thc audience never never sees secs above the to soon-to-be-corpse's torsos The camera narrows in on the victims victim's legs as they systematically walk walkup walkup walkup up to a gun lying on the pavement One character leans down and picks it up We hear a gun shot and the body falls to the black top Another victim walks to the discarded gun and the ritual continues Sadly the films film's plot is as incoherent as the characters that fall victim to the episodic killings Without giving too much away the film offers several explanations as to why people are suddenly committing suicide in specific locations Most of the are ludicrous The Happening could M N I Ci B T S B A M A L A N 1 L lA 11 o. o o I 1 I 1 M u A R JC W 11 II I. I B 1 I Rt T HAF HAPPEN RE- RE REN N ING have been a serious thriller or a gu guilty ty pleasure film full of bad acting and continuous puns The film wavers in both directions and the flow is never completely clear One thing is for sure The Happening echoes ideas found in horror honor flicks of the past which fed off of 1 audiences audience's fears of invasion from an unexplained source The The Happening may have been more fun if it had been a successful hybrid of The Invasion of of w The Body Snatchers and andas as Shawn of the Dead put puta a comedic twist on Dawn of the Dead Viewers craving a good scare are cautioned to stay home with a bowl of their favorite Italian desert and anda a cult classic of choice Otherwise they may leave the theatre with a strong urge to head to the shed for their lawnmower The Happening is rated R for violence bloody scenes and language t |