Did you ever get around to watching M. Night Shyamalan strange thriller The Happening from 2008? Well I’d never seen it but was it worth the wait? Let’s find out here’s The Happening blu-ray review.
- The Happening (2008) – Extended Edition
- Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
- Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Released: 3rd November 2008
Plot
Out of nowhere people in New York City’s Central Park begin to kill themselves. This soon starts spreading leading a mass panic with people fleeing the city. One such group is that of school teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel). They hop on board a train thinking their troubles are over. However when the train comes to a stop their find themselves stranded in a small town. Worse still the news reports have the strange phenomena coming their way.
Style / Direction
The Happening is a film directed by M. Night Shyamalan with Tak Fujimoto handling the cinematography.
Music / Audio Effects
James Newton Howard provides the film’s score.
Acting / Characters
The acting is decent without there being any real standout performances. Mark Wahlberg does ok as teacher Elliot Moore for the most part. There is however one bizarre scene that see’s his character stops talking almost as if there’s a missing page of dialogue. It’s a scene in which he and his wife find a woman unaffected by the strange phenomena. Anyway they are in her house eating at the table where he suddenly goes silent for no real reason. He’s supposed to be the one leading the rest of the survivors. Odd!
Meanwhile Zooey Deschanel plays as Alma, Elliot Moore’s wife. She seems to struggle showing her true emotions. She plays the part pretty well.
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg as Elliot Moore
- Zooey Deschanel as Alma Moore
- John Leguizamo as Julian
- Betty Buckley as Mrs. Jones
- Ashlyn Sanchez as Jess
- Frank Collison as the owner of a nursery
- Victoria Clark as the owner of a nursery
- Jeremy Strong as Private Auster
- Brian O’Halloran as Jeep driver
- Alan Ruck as Principal
- Joel de la Fuente as Realtor
- Spencer Breslin as Josh
- Robert Bailey, Jr. as Jared
- Charlie Saxton as Dyla
Conclusion: The Happening (2008) Film Review
I quite like these kind of sci-fi films however whilst I like the idea I don’t quite think M. Night Shyamalan manages to make the most out of the concept. In the end it ends up being an interesting but average kind of movie.
If you’ve enjoyed my The Happening blu-ray review so far you may want to check out the following films:
Conclusion: The Happening Blu-ray Review
The picture quality is excellent and there’s some more good news as this blu-ray release comes with a couple of scenes cut from the theatrical release added back. I’m guessing they are a couple of the suicides such as a man that kills himself with lawnmower!
Extras
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Train Shooting
- The Hard Cut
- Forces Unseen
- I Hear You Whispering
- A Day for Night
- Elements of a Scene
The Happening (2008) Blu-ray
The Happening (2008) blu-ray is available now from Amazon.co.uk.
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate / associate links. By buying through the links we may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price you pay.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: The Happening (2008)
MOVIE RATING: WORTH A LOOK
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
The Happening (2008) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may NOT be representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my The Happening blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more sci-fi thrillers soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
Summary: The Happening (2008) Blu-ray Review (Extended Edition)
Movie title: The Happening (2008)
Movie description: Out of nowhere people in New York City's Central Park begin to kill themselves.
Duration: 86 mins
Director(s): M. Night Shyamalan
Actor(s): Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
A great idea not quite realised
