The Happening **1/2
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: R

In New York City, people begin committing suicide and acting disoriented. They kill themselves with whatever is available. Some jab themselves with knitting needles, some jump off buildings. Soon, the phenomenon is spreading throughout the northeast, hitting Philadelphia and Boston. At first, it is believed to be a terrorist attack, but soon the people come to believe it is something more elusive. Four individuals, Elliot (Wahlberg), his wife Alma (Deschanel), his friend Julian (Leguizamo), and Julian’s daughter Jess (Sanchez), fled the city just as the outbreak started, and find themselves momentarily safe in eastern Pennsylvania. There, they try to figure out what is happening, and how they will deal with it when it reaches them.

“The Happening” is a somewhat successful thriller. The success lies in the genuine creepiness that pervades the film. The methodical suicides that are shown in R rated detail are disturbing. They are shocking and powerful. The problem here is that the story has nowhere to go. Any explanation is going to feel like a letdown (and it is). The best film I can compare “The Happening” to is “The Birds”. Creepy, but ultimately unsatisfying. Wahlberg and Deschanel are adequate in their roles, but Buckley steals the show when she is on screen. Shyamalan has produced a film that is better than his last effort, “Lady in the Water”, but he needs a real hit to stop his downward slide. Recommended for DVD viewing only.