I find Shyamalan’s commentary on his deleted scenes very interesting. Unlike other films, the deleted scenes themselves are worth watching. He says that he didn’t insert the deleted scenes for an unrated director’s cut, because the movie seen in theatres is his vision.

The deleted scene that was supposed to begin the film would have explained why Wahlberg’s character was so childlike and why the marriage was so unstable. Shyamalan thought it was backstory that explained too much to the audience. I think it would have made the movie make more sense to the “mainstream” audience. I like that Shyamalan is pretentious.

Does having a child shot with a shotgun make a film R-rated? Shyamalan could have easily made the film PG-13.

When Wahlberg finds the “mummified” child, you know that a scare is coming up, but you still jump when the scare occurs.

One strange thing that I’m wondering about is the transition from the scene where the woman accuses them of whispering and conspiring against her, and Wahlberg denies it, and then it’s the next morning with Wahlberg waking up. Did Shyamalan intend for the audience to imagine how difficult it would have been for everyone to get to sleep after that?

As for this Avatar movie he’s doing next, yeah it is definitely going to be odd, but you’re right, at least it’s something new for him. (Then again, he did write Stuart Little.)

But as far as The Happening is concerned, my only surprise is that it didn’t get a dreaded one star that I’d give Lady in the Water. Mood and tension really are the only things Shyamalan understands. The change of genre from thriller/sci-fi to fantasy/action/drama in The Last Airbender trilogy will be Shyamalan’s much needed change of pace. I just wish he wasn’t writing the script for it.

After two amazing but generally misunderstood films M Night Shyamalan returns with The Happening. A title which has to be a candidate for the vaguest ever. As usual it has been nearly impossible to figure out what in the world the film is about beforehand, and that is just one of the reasons that Shyamalan with The Happening, again delivers a cinema experience like no other.

The Happening has a (for Shyamalan) brand new cast starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo, and (I’m sure to many peoples delight) no appearance by Shyamalan himself. Mark Wahlbergs performance in The Happening is incredibly difficult to get a hold of. His diction is among the strangest I can remember hearing a grown man speak, it is almost like when a finnish man questioningly tries his luck in English, and it can get annoying at times, but you can’t help but wonder why somebody would speak like that. It does make him alittle more interesting I think.

Zooey Deschanel in front of a camera is close to being the best idea since somebody came up with wrapping a sausage in bacon. She has a fantastic face, it can sometimes be distracting to the plot to have her in a close-up, and even though her acting gets alittle too cute at times, she carries it. She’s a coming star, who we’ll hopefully get to see a lot more of.

In his latest films Shyamalan has more or less attempted consciously to alienate the audience, and created plot threads, characters and entire universes so peculiar, special and seemingly disjointed that most people check out at the halfway point. The Happening is not as extreme as his latest two films, but it does contain elements which can be hard to swallow for a sceptic audience. But that is their loss. The only difference between The Happening and countless other Hollywood-movies with far out concepts, is that Shyamalan does not attempt to apologize for his ideas, and doesn’t try to shape an entire reality based around getting one little concept to work.

But The Happening is in no way inaccesible. This is Shyamalan in entertainmentmode, and he serves delicious set pieces with a flair and an elegance worthy of Steven Spielberg. The enormous difference is that Shyamalan in The Happening is cold, cynical, vicious and unforgiving. There is no dear mom in Shyamalans universe, there is no salvation, and that is wonderful! For once it actually hurts to watch an entertainmentfilm from Hollywood, and there are still some of us who appreciate that.

One of the most amazing things about Shyamalan is that he like no other living director can create uneasyness on the screen. His mood-driven tension is like a dial he can turn up or down anytime he wants. Horrorfilms usually don’t affect me, I’m not scared, they fall on their face. Shyamalan, with very simple methods, brings me completely into the mood – it’s pretty fucking scary man.

The Happening is an entertainmentfilm with an auteurflair that’s lacking in Hollywood. Even though Shyamalan in a way has gone back to the well to regain goodwill both among audiences and in the industry, he hasn’t forgotten himself. When you add to that craftsmanship on the level of a Stanley Kubrick, you’ve got a cinema experience which nobody should cheat themselves out of. The Happening is possibly this summers best American film!

I would give it 3 out of 4 stars.