Writing a review for The Happening is a pretty tough task, mainly because of M. Night Shyamalan. We all know that The Sixth Sense was awesome, but then everything else he touched was piss poor (The Village, Lady in the Water, Signs), so I was hoping this film would be a return to form for the cocky writer/director/ producer/cameo master. Sadly�it wasn�t. So, without ruining the underlying message that�s built into every M. Night movie, here are my thoughts.

The Beginning
The first 20 minutes of The Happening are actually pretty amazing. It plays off the previews pretty well with people killing themselves in the most disturbing ways, and the music along with the dialogue (and sometimes lack of) make it pretty freaky. Since this is the first R-rated movie that M. Night has ever produced, he definitely took advantage of crossing some lines. I would say there were about 11 shrieks from various girls around the theatre in the beginning�and two from me.

The Plot (Minus the Killer Wind)
Okay, main plot aside, what really pissed me off about this movie is the underlying love story between Marky Mark and his wife. You are told in the beginning that they are having issues, and during the movie while avoiding death, they attempt to resolve their issues. The problem is that you know next to nothing about the couple, and therefore don�t give a damn whether or not they end up together. Also, the way their drama ties into the rest of the storyline is just annoying since it�s mostly irrelevant and tries to be funny�but you only find yourself laughing because of how stupid it comes across.

The Acting
This is where it gets tough. The cast is trying to play the roles of characters whose lives are turned upside down in a single day. They go from being at work on a normal day, to seeing their best friends and loved ones killed for inexplicable reasons. While they try to show this fear and confusion, they often come across as trying way too hard to fit into the role. Try to imagine the frattiest guy you know trying to be a relevant member of a study group. You know he doesn�t give a crap, and you know he�s just saying something so he fits in, but at the same time, he�s trying, so it�s a little believable. And if you don�t believe me, just wait until you see the dude from the Army.

The Writing
Although M. Night takes credit for writing, directing, and producing this movie�he shouldn�t. There are so many times when the writing in the movie makes it absolutely comical. Sure, part of that can be blamed on the acting, but hey, they are just reading lines off some paper. There are so many bold statements that are made for no reason, yet set the direction for the movie. For example, at one point, the group is hiding out in a café when some random guy stands up and says they have to leave. There was no reason for him to get up and no evidence to support his statement, but immediately everyone ran out the door and drove away. Does that make any sense? Not really, but that�s how the movie goes.

Overall
I wanted to like the movie. I really, really wanted to like the movie. In the end, the best thing I could say to myself was, �Well, I didn�t hate the movie.� It�s so close to being amazing, but so far from it at the same time. The person next to me thought it was the worst movie she had ever seen, while the entire row in front of me couldn�t stop talking about how real and frightful it was. The underlying message is one that�s overplayed, but it�s never been showcased in this way, so check it out and make your own call.