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The Happening
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The Happening (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 40 | slideshow) Videos (see all 12)
The Happening (2008) -- This is the second theatrical trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening.
The Happening (2008) -- Clip: I'm Going To Get Mommy
The Happening (2008) -- Interview: John Leguizamo and Zooey Deschanel "On their characters"
The Happening (2008) -- Actor Mark Wahlberg is known for his strong physical presence on screen. But in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller "The Happening" he plays a character known more for his mind. Harry Smith reports.
The Happening (2008) -- A paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity.

Overview

User Rating:
5.2/10   58,621 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
M. Night Shyamalan
Writer (WGA):
M. Night Shyamalan (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Happening on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 June 2008 (USA) more
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:
more
Awards:
4 nominations more
User Comments:
The one-hit wonder thuds out another one. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Green Planet (USA) (working title)
The Green Effect (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violent and disturbing images.
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
USA | India
Language:
English | French
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie was shot completely in sequence. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Westover Military Base is near Chicopee, MA, over 500 miles from Filbert, PA. more
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
Movie Connections:
References Ghostbusters II (1989) more
Soundtrack:
Black Water more

FAQ

Why did "the happening" not affect some people?
Why did Julian say "Don't take her hand unless you mean it!" to Alma?
Was this meant to be a B-movie?
more
10 out of 18 people found the following comment useful:-
The one-hit wonder thuds out another one., 15 March 2009
3/10
Author: jszigeti from United States

The Sixth Sense was a fine movie, a truly great addition to the horror/supernatural genre that has so few really good movies (at least in proportion to the garbage). This movie is a waste of very expensive celluloid and I was amazed that Ebert cut it so much slack.

1. The underlying message is a simple minded, heavy handed green preachment. I am a person who regards humanity as the metastasized cancer of the biosphere so I am not reacting to that message as some sort of knee-jerk dominionist corporate booster. If only the environment could defend itself so purposefully. In any case it is not a good enough pay-off to justify sitting through 80 minutes or so of contrived "suspense", mediocre, at best, writing, and all the over-acting.

2. The so-called suspense strikes me as so much padding to a thin short story that might merit an appearance in a magazine or anthology. In essence it is a greened-up knock off of du Maurier's "The Birds" with plants instead of birds, padded out with horror sequences reminiscent of one of the bad Stephen King movies (e.g. Maximum Overdrive).

3. I felt sorry for the actors straining to emote out the frail gossamer of this story line. All criticism of the performances should be laid at the door of the director. If any of these actors are favorites of yours, I recommend self-induced amnesia.

4. It is a wonder that anyone interested in either art or commerce still funds this director's so-called projects after Lady in the Water, and more so after this turkey.

5. I am grateful that the offense was not compounded by a heavy dose of quirky "artistic" camera work as well. It is a perfectly good looking movie, what a decent budget and hiring the right people will get you nearly every time.

M. Night Shyamalan remains, in my opinion, a confirmed one-hit wonder. If audiences and his backers are fortunate, he might someday become a two-hit wonder. Time is running out for him to move up to legend from mere cult in danger of becoming camp.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Happening (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
100 Things I Learned From 'The Happening' SPOILERS saturnchick
Let's name 30 cheesey lines from 'The Happening'! justkilledbill
M. Night Shyamalan abby_rose
Questions...(SPOILERS ) Ellimac1981
Just saw the film for the first time, a few things...(POSSIBLE SPOILERS) Tweekyboy-1
This movie is all the more reason to put googly-eyes on your plants... L-Meister3
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