Very mediocre. Story-wise, it was barely above the quality of a typical Sci-Fi Channel offering (it just had bigger stars and better production values is all).
I was just stunned at how dumb the character motivations were, at how uninspiring the love story was, at how inconsistent the characters were, and then ...
SPOILER
... I just could not believe that lamo-lame excuse for an "I love you!" moment at the end where Mark Wahlberg decided to just march across the field to Zoey D. because he wanted for the two of them to die together instead of apart.
END SPOILER
And the over-use of close-ups! Dear god! Only a rookie director over-employs close-ups to such an incessant degree. Why oh why was he CONSTANTLY filling the screen with close-ups of Mark Wahlberg's face? --from the very opening scene??? (I mean hey--I think he's a cute guy, but it was downright distracting!)
On other matters, I am writing a novel right now and this movie just took the wind out of my sails because my primary inspiration for this novel is to have Mark Wahlberg as my main character. Now I realize that isn't what reality is all about. But when it comes to a writer trying and trying and trying to keep the inspiration flowing, reality has nothing to do with that end of the process. Anyway, this movie really killed it for me. Here's why:
Anyway, this was a dumb dumb movie. He used to have such a finesse for "the family" and for invoking the really deep and quiet moments of family conversation and the whispers and the glances and the tone of a true family. This movie had several families and not one family unit on the screen felt like a real family. That magic is just gone from his work now. I can't believe M. Night could make such a cardboard film.
.
I was just stunned at how dumb the character motivations were, at how uninspiring the love story was, at how inconsistent the characters were, and then ...
SPOILER
... I just could not believe that lamo-lame excuse for an "I love you!" moment at the end where Mark Wahlberg decided to just march across the field to Zoey D. because he wanted for the two of them to die together instead of apart.
END SPOILER
And the over-use of close-ups! Dear god! Only a rookie director over-employs close-ups to such an incessant degree. Why oh why was he CONSTANTLY filling the screen with close-ups of Mark Wahlberg's face? --from the very opening scene??? (I mean hey--I think he's a cute guy, but it was downright distracting!)
On other matters, I am writing a novel right now and this movie just took the wind out of my sails because my primary inspiration for this novel is to have Mark Wahlberg as my main character. Now I realize that isn't what reality is all about. But when it comes to a writer trying and trying and trying to keep the inspiration flowing, reality has nothing to do with that end of the process. Anyway, this movie really killed it for me. Here's why:
- My novel starts out in Philadelphia -- so does The Happening.
- My novel has a Mark Walberg-inspired character as the main protag -- so does The Happening.
- My novel involves a catastrophic event where millions of people die, and which drives everyone out of the city in a panic -- so does The Happening.
- My novel has the fleeing people flee toward .... the west ... toward the Pennsylvania countryside -- so does The Happening.
- My novel involves fleeing via the railroad -- so does The Happening. (Actually, my main protag is all alone as he flees the city, and he WALKS along the railroad tracks in his effort to leave Philadelphia. I realize it's not the same as in this movie ... but still)
- My novel takes a brief side-trip into the town of Limmerick, Pennsylvania for the specific purpose of showcasing the two nuclear cooling towers at the Limmerick Nuclear Power Plant -- so does The Happening. (For anyone who goes to see this movie ... when you see those two nuclear towers, trust me when I assure you that they are indeed the Limmerick towers. I lived in the shadow of those towers for six years and I know them when I see them.)
Anyway, this was a dumb dumb movie. He used to have such a finesse for "the family" and for invoking the really deep and quiet moments of family conversation and the whispers and the glances and the tone of a true family. This movie had several families and not one family unit on the screen felt like a real family. That magic is just gone from his work now. I can't believe M. Night could make such a cardboard film.
.
