Review: The Happening

The Film
Rating: -/*****
Sequel: Would be a miracle
Best bit: The Dark Knight Trailer

The Experience
Company: 4 very fun people willing to hate the film as much as me. *****/*****
Trailers: Same old Dark Knight trailer, gets better every time. New X Files film looks great and I haven't even watched the series. Hancock is already wearing thin and I haven't even seen it yet, ****/*****
Food: I armed myself with only some M&Ms and stole drinks from Josh, **/*****
Seating: got ourselves in a good position, other cinema goers were respectably quiet as there was only 2 of them ****/*****

Special mention should go to the new Orange advert, funniest one in a while. Shame they tend to only knock one out every half-a-year.

The Review:
Well, the Happening was awful, we've gathered that. But WOW! What a cinema experience! Thanks to Orange Wednesdays I went to the film for free, given the quality of the film I wouldn't have it any other way. However, I was short on cash so I had only a hanfful or M&Ms for the main event.

The screen was a very good size and as it was an afternoon showing we had only the company of 2 other movie-goers. The seats as always were terrifically comfortable but Rob's chair was a bit squeaky. Shame on you, Empire Cinemas. Rob also seemed to think his numerous pops at Ellen Page's young-looking features were funny, but I begged to differ. Shouting "Run Ellen, Run!" at the screen as an 8 year old actress sprints through a field in the film was however, very funny contextually.

The trailers were a real highlight for me as always. Opening this time with a very well-sized trailer for the new X Files film "I Want To Believe" Casting Billy Connolly as a Priest may sound like a HUGE mistake for the biggest thriller film in 2008 but it works surprisingly well. I can't wait to see the film in all honesty and I think I've seen maybe ten minutes of one episode in my entire life. I'm no stranger to the Dark Knight Trailer either (The second one that was released with the Joker reveal in the prison cell) but it still gets me every time. I've been waiting 6 months to see this damn film. I hope people don't shy away from giving it excellent reviews for fear people will believe it's a sympathy vote for Heath Ledger. The man looks like he's found the best role of his career. The Hancock trailer is beginning to aggravate me now, it was such a good idea but the story looks bland and the humour mediocre. Also revealing that Hancock fights another superhero in the trailer itself is a pretty huge mistake as it seems that would be a fantastic plot point.

All in all it was a great outing for the day before my birthday. Spur-of-the-moment decisions always end up the best and I'm happy I decided to go to the cinema. I can't reiterate enough what a let-down the film was, however. Shame on you, Shyamalan, shame on you.
share on: facebook