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The Happening (2008)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
M. Night Shyamalan (written by)
Release Date:
13 June 2008 (USA)
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Tagline:
We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening.
Plot:
A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Park
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Teacher
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Crisis
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Strange Behavior
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Disappearance
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Awards:
1 win
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(217 articles)
Jackson Rathbone Talks The Last Airbender
(From ShockYa. 5 December 2009, 11:00 PM, PST)
Top 7 Movies That Make The End of the World Sound Hilarious
(From Scorecard Review. 13 November 2009, 2:18 PM, PST)
(From ShockYa. 5 December 2009, 11:00 PM, PST)
Top 7 Movies That Make The End of the World Sound Hilarious
(From Scorecard Review. 13 November 2009, 2:18 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Not brilliant but it is worth a look
more (1167 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mark Wahlberg | ... | Elliot Moore | |
| Zooey Deschanel | ... | Alma Moore | |
| John Leguizamo | ... | Julian | |
| Ashlyn Sanchez | ... | Jess | |
| Betty Buckley | ... | Mrs. Jones | |
| Spencer Breslin | ... | Josh | |
| Robert Bailey Jr. | ... | Jared | |
| Frank Collison | ... | Nursery Owner | |
| Jeremy Strong | ... | Pvt. Auster - MP | |
| Alan Ruck | ... | Principal | |
| Victoria Clark | ... | Nursery Owner's Wife | |
| M. Night Shyamalan | ... | Joey (voice) | |
| Alison Folland | ... | Claire - Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin | |
| Kristen Connolly | ... | Woman Reading on Bench | |
| Cornell Womack | ... | Construction Foreman |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated R for violent and disturbing images.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
91 min
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
South Korea:18 |
Finland:K-15 |
Ireland:15A |
Norway:15 |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Singapore:PG |
Australia:MA |
New Zealand:R13 |
Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) |
Brazil:16 |
Italy:VM14 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
Argentina:13 |
Spain:13 |
UK:15 |
USA:R (certificate #44343) |
Taiwan:R-12 |
Japan:PG-12 |
Germany:16 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Germany:16 (cut) (theatrical version) |
Sweden:15 |
Austria:14 |
Denmark:15 |
South Africa:16LV |
Canada:14A |
India:A (cinema release) |
New Zealand:R16 (DVD re-rating) |
Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) |
Iceland:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The answer to Julian's math riddle, with the average month having 30 days, is $10,737,418.23.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: The weapon the Private draws from his holster is not a M9 Beretta 9mm handgun, standard issue for all conventional Army units, including MP's.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin: I forgot where I am.
Woman Reading on Bench: You're at the place where the killers meet to decide what to do with the crippled girl.
more
Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin: I forgot where I am.
Woman Reading on Bench: You're at the place where the killers meet to decide what to do with the crippled girl.
more
Movie Connections:
References Ghostbusters II (1989)
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Soundtrack:
Piano Concerto Nš21 In C K467 ('Elvira Madigan': 2.Andante)
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FAQ
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?How did critics react to the film?
Is "The Happening" based on a book?
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more (1167 total)
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When I first saw the trailer for 'The Happening', I was quite excited at the prospect of another film by M. Night Shyamalan. After all, I enjoyed all his previous films, save 'Lady in the Lake', and was sure he would deliver another breath-taking blockbuster. Sadly, I was wrong and while the film was not a turkey, it was not of the excellence I had expected.
The film sees some sort of mysterious ecological event leading to people committing mass suicide, the phenomenon spreading first from large cities then to smaller towns until it is clear a huge chunk of the East Coast is affected. At first, it is assumed to be a terrorist attack but, as more and more people are spontaneously kill themselves, it is clear the cause may be something else entirely...
One of the problems with the film was the quality of the acting and the characters themselves. Mark Wahlberg stars as Elliot, the science teacher who is our main protagonist, and he does flounder in many scenes as if he forgets he's playing an intelligent but ordinary everyday guy, not a gung-ho military hero who is cool in all situations. He could have injected more emotion into his performance. Zooey Deschanel plays Elliot's girlfriend Alma and she too fails to make the audience care for her with the way she depicts the character to be some sort of an escapee from a teeny-booper romance flick. To be fair, it is not entirely Deschanel's fault as Alma is a weak, self-centred character with the emotional capacity of a young adolescent (for example, she puts Elliot and a child at risk a couple of times with her stupid decisions and, at the start, when it's clear people are dying, she is in a huff because Elliot and his friend 'hurt' her feelings).
When it comes to the actual storyline, the plot does start off intriguingly and there are many chilling moments when we see people are coolly committing suicide like mindless zombies. However, the finale doesn't deliver what the build-up promised. There are no real explanations or solid end result. In many ways, this film is similar to Shyamalan's previous project 'Signs' both in terms of a mass disaster and no real end resolution to the events but 'Signs' worked better because the characters were more effectively portrayed and their personal storyline was enough of a finale to compensate. This is not the case in 'The Happening' where the storyline fizzles out.
Overall, this is by no means a terrible film. It is enjoyable and fits nicely into the apocalyptic genre but 'Signs' has done this sort of idea before and did it better. That said, there was not only moments that had me on the edge of my seat but also lines which were quite humorous. And certainly, it does make one think about the state of the planet in regards to whether humanity does have it coming to them and how we would cope in such an event. It is worth a look, especially in a week when the other premiere is 'The Hulk, a film aimed at keeping twelve-year-olds' entertained.