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Movies / On DVD / The Happening
The Happening

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The Happening (2008)

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Reviews Counted:5

Fresh:2

Rotten:3

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: The Happening begins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:13-06-2008

Synopsis: M. Night Shyamalan directs this thriller about a science teacher (Mark Wahlberg) who tries to escape with his wife and friend's daughter after an apocalyptic event. THE HAPPENING costars Zooey... M. Night Shyamalan directs this thriller about a science teacher (Mark Wahlberg) who tries to escape with his wife and friend's daughter after an apocalyptic event. THE HAPPENING costars Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo. [More]

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Betty Buckley

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Betty Buckley

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: M. Night Shyamalan, Sam Mercer, Barry Mendel
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for The Happening

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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Feeble gust of an environmental horror story.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 1 Comment
06/13/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A patchy, uninspired eco-thriller whose R rating (a first for Shyamalan) looks more like a B.O. hindrance than an artistic boon.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/13/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Shyamalan's approach is more effective than smash-and-grab plot-mongering. His use of the landscape is disturbingly effective. The performances by Wahlberg and Deschanel bring a quiet dignity to their characters.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 62 Comments
06/13/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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The Happening is a divertingly goofy thriller with an animistic bent, moments of shivery and twitchy suspense and a solid lead performance from Mark Wahlberg.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 8 Comments
06/12/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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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.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 15 Comments
06/11/08
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Happening

January 21, 2009: Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...

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June 16, 2008: WNYC RADIO: A numbing polemical morality tale in dreary doomsday thriller clothing, this dull downer for all its mass panic attack high alert mode, may be more effective in unintentionally boring people to death. Opens in new window
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