It Didn't Happen

Hey, why haven't I been using labels? I can have fun with those.

Movie review Saturday! I guess. I just saw The Happening with the gang earlier today, and I can honestly say that it is one of the least entertaining movies I've seen in quite some time. Well, let me rephrase that. It was mildly entertaining, but mostly in a completely accidental way. I'd venture to say that it's the biggest Hollywood snuff film since The Passion of the Christ. It almost seemed like a poor adaptation of a somewhat clever book. The idea is actually great, and really creepy. The concept behind the movie warrants the Hitchcock comparisons that Shyamalan seems to get. However, the execution is more reminiscent of Michael Bay. Except with fewer explosions. The movie does have a few pros, however. A few. The cinematography and camera direction were actually pretty cool. I liked that he did lots of close-up shots of the characters' faces. You don't see that too much anymore, and it heightened the sheer terror of the situation. I liked the score--very creepy. I liked some of the intentional, albeit very random, jokes. I also liked that one shot with all the people on the street committing suicide with the cop's gun. I thought that was very well done and quite emotionally resonant. [ETA: Many thanks to Laura for reminding me that yet another pro of the movie was the sheer hotness of Marky Mark in the lead role. When he wasn't talking, I enjoyed his performance quite a bit. :D]

On to the cons. The script was terrible. The acting was awkward. They showed way too many of the deaths. It would have been much more successful, in my opinion, if they didn't show the people killing themselves quite as much. I couldn't watch half of the movie, and I'm not that squeamish. (Although it probably didn't help that I was nursing a hell of a hangover thanks to my coworkers) It's very obvious that M. Night Shyamalan can come up with great ideas, but is very bad at executing them. I'm now convinced that The Sixth Sense was a complete fluke. Although, I will admit that I liked Unbreakable, in a very geeky way.

What he should have focused a bit more on is the paranoia that the situation creates. He touches on it a bit, when they find that house with the inhabitants who won't let them in. But he could have done so much more with playing people off of each other. And can we talk about how much he hit us over the head with the grander messages in his works? I GET IT. It doesn't help that I just watched Pan's Labyrinth--one of the most beautiful and subtle and depressing and, in a weird way, uplifting movies I've seen in a long time. The worst part about this (from my checking out the internet forums) is that people who have deciphered the great mystery of the films take it upon themselves to criticize everyone who doesn't like these movies, and call them dumb for "not getting it." Getting a good point across by browbeating audiences does not make a movie good. I'll call this the "Crash Syndrome." Nobody tangentially insults my movie intelligence.

So, now, I'm officially done talking about that movie. I'm going to bed and sleeping off the headache.