The Happening (2008)

Ridiculous - 2/5

So I saw this film yesterday called 'The Happening' and it has to be one of the strangest and laughable plot lines I've encountered. I don't really even know what happened by the end but I think the film was trying to come to the conclusion that plants were to blame for everyone killing themselves. Now I'm no scientist but I think that is pretty far fetched. Throughout the film I felt like it was a mickey-take of another film and was taking the piss out of itself but then I released it was actually trying to be serious. The storyline was terrible, the acting was terrible and the film itself was downright terrible.

I think this has got to be Mark Wahlberg's worst film. I'm actually quite a fan of his films and particularly enjoyed 'Shooter' and 'Three Kings' but I found this to be one of the worst performances by a leading actor I've ever seen. There was a hint of desperation in every single line he said even before anything had happened. It was as if he was about to cry with everything he said and I found his performance very childish. Although I adore Zooey Deschanel she was no better and, like almost everyone in it, showed barely any emotion. It was nice to hear the vocal talents of John Leguizamo from 'Ice Age' and it's always a pleasure to see Alan Ruck who should have more major roles. John Leguizamo was probably the stand out for me as he showed some level of emotion.

For some reason, after I read many a bad review for this film, I decided to add it to my Lovefilm list. What a mistake it was. I assure anyone that if they are thinking of doing the same after reading this review that you will be disappointed. The film is ridiculous.