The Happening
Well, it certainly “Happened.” With the pressure of previous box office hits of M. Night weighing on the back of his newest production, people flocked to the movie theatres. As is Night’s way, there is very little known about the film as people walk in. One might argue it’s the only reason there are so many numbers to theatres, but either way, it works.
The film itself was a patented twisted and spiraling thing that most expected it to be. But who would have thought biological warfare – but isn’t manufactured and therefore pretty much unstoppable? Yes, that’s right – mother nature is out to get us. The trees and other plant life want us off their land, and it seems they’ve tired of our antics.
Overall, the film wasn’t anything to completely boo and hiss, nor anything to write home about. Like other famous movie makers, Night turned to blood and gore to get a point across. His show of fit, however, is not a pissed off stalker or a family with a blood thirst. The blood serves as a poignant realization for all those watching that, “Hey, we are maybe overstepping our boundaries a little on what we’re doing with our planet.” No doubt Al Gore will love this film. With this realization in mind, the beginning of the movie brings up the problem of the disappearing honeybees. No bodies. No real understanding of why their numbers are decreased. Scientists say that it could be anything from a temperature change to lack of flowers to pollinate. Either way, this is something REAL that is really “Happening” in our world. Perhaps things outside of our concrete jungles aren’t running quite as smoothly as we all think.
All this aside, Night’s writing style is becoming more and more predictable. There are fewer and different twists in many of his films. Other than following into the blood bath culture, he uses such over written play on life and death as having new life at the end of the movie when everything is regenerating. As if many people who actually can understand the movie couldn’t see that coming. Honestly, he needs to pick up his game a little.
Reviews of People
Standing outside the theatre, however, the populous gave it a different review. “That was the ‘gayest’ movie I’ve ever seen. Don’t see it.” “That lawn mower scene was wicked awesome! The blood when that guy was run over – AMAZING.” “I don’t ever want to see another one of his movies again.”
It amazes me that people are so damn dense. I’m not saying that it’s going to be one of my favorite movies, or that I will MAKE or FORCE my friends to go see it, but I certainly don’t think it was bad. There is so much more to writing a movie (as in most writing genres) than people seem to understand or appreciate. It’s all about instant gratification with most people. If they’re not instantly pleased with something, or come out of the movie theatre with a warm sense of bubbly satisfaction and satiation, then it’s not worth the $10 they paid to get in.
Personally, I like to think about it. Let it seep in as I think about the movie as a whole. Relive parts of the movie with things later on and make them make sense. Also, to talk to someone about the whole thing and get their input on it opens your eyes even more. A movie like this that is so seemingly far fetched, yet almost completely plausible is a mind numbing experience to take in. There’s so much that you can think about. Like – “What set off the plants?” Throughout the movie different theories are thrown around, but none seem to be right since it keeps changing. I have my own theories after thinking about it for about half an hour as I sit in my room doing nothing, but there’s so much more.
In my opinion, if something can make me think and dive deeper into the story line and the mind of the writer, then it’s good. I guess that’s a problem with our society today – people don’t want or have the time to actually open up their mind and think every once and a while.
