M. Knight Sampleamalayan

[Thrashalla]

Available 10/21/08



The Happening is a departure for director M. Night Shyamalan: he abandons his trademark conceit of the twist ending to tell a straight-forward tale of horror.  It's like going to a Gallagher show where he refuses to smash watermelons with a giant mallet.  The only difference is that Gallagher's comedy is grim and depressing and The Happening is hilarious.

Yes, the plants of the Northeastern United States are fed up with how we've been treating them and decide to simultaneously release a toxin that causes humanity to commit suicide in various comical ways.  Evidently this is something that is entirely scientifically valid, because a hot-dog obsessed lunatic says so at one point in time during the movie.  Mark Wahlberg baffles as a Lemon Drink-eyeing science teacher and the part of Zooey Deschanel is ably played by a Tarsier.  Mike, Kevin and Bill lend intentionally funny riffs to this masterpiece of unintentional comedy. (Unless there's some sort of real-life Happening, in which case they pre-emptively announce their allegiance to the plants.)


<a href="http://www.rifftrax.com/misc/flvplayer.swf?file=rtmp://rifftraxfvs.cdnetworks.us/rifftraxfvs/flashstream/&amp;id=TheHappening_Sample&amp;width=500&amp;height=330&amp;overstretch=fit&amp;volume=100&amp;autostart=false&amp;type=rtmp&amp;" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.rifftrax.com/misc/flvplayer.swf?file=rtmp://rifftraxfvs.cdnetworks.us/rifftraxfvs/flashstream/&amp;id=TheHappening_Sample&amp;width=500&amp;height=330&amp;overstretch=fit&amp;volume=100&amp;autostart=false&amp;type=rtmp&amp;</a>

http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/happening

(Edit: I would like to ask all of you to take a moment of silence in tribute to the sanity lost by myself and my co-workers while watching this movie unriffed in preparation of the riffing....sanity sacrificed for the sake of YOUR entertainment.  )

[Conor]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/l8PxA6IVdYo" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/l8PxA6IVdYo</a>

[Relaxing Dragon]

Wow... just wow... I kept hearing things about this movie, but now that I've actually seen it, it's pretty spectacular how bad it is. Part of the time I was laughing more at it than the riff.

Of course, it looks like a great riff (loved all the bits about the wind, and the "sorry, that was an accident" was great too). Can't wait to see this (bit of an oxymoron, I'll admit).

[PlayMSTie]

Man, Wahlberg was awful.

[Trumpysgirl]

Wow. 

I refused to see this film, but after that one clip....wow.

The worst part about a bad movie is when you know full well that the actors are actually capable of doing better. For shaaaaaaaame!

[Jonathan_Short_Torso]

Wait.. "they're dying?!" WHAT?! Come on it's possible some asshole was just firing off shots just to fuck with their heads!!!!
Is the whole movie like this? Because if it is I don't think I'll be able to sit through it without dying laughing.

[bettertomorrowamy]

I personally don't understand what's so bad about this movie, but it will make a good Rifftrax.

[ManUnderMask]

How far has M. Night fallen. Just from half the clip I can already tell that this movie is horrible. It just looks stupid, not to mention the dialogue and the acting is just... how the hell can Walhberg be good in Max Payne but suck donkey balls here?

Maybe it's the source material.

[Nick]

I personally don't understand what's so bad about this movie, but it will make a good Rifftrax.

1. Shitty Acting

2. Retarded Plot

3. Expectations

Those are three reasons why I think this movie is roundly hated by... well everyone. When one thinks of M. Night, they think of 6th Sense and Unbreakable, both of which were good movies.

When you compare those two to this.. this travesty of a film, it's hard to believe they were directed by the same man. It's inexcusable how bad The Happening was.

[Bob]

Are you kidding me...... a "Wind monster"?   

[RVR II]

I've never seen it, but the Title Alone tells me the movie Suck'd!

[bettertomorrowamy]

It really isn't that bad.  The wind isn't the monster, it's the chemicals in the wind.  The enemy is not knowing, so fear is the enemy.

[Bob]

It really isn't that bad.  The wind isn't the monster, it's the chemicals in the wind.  The enemy is not knowing, so fear is the enemy.

So the only thing we have to fear is fear itself?

[esoobaC .T bocaJ]

and Mother Nature

[bettertomorrowamy]

It really isn't that bad.  The wind isn't the monster, it's the chemicals in the wind.  The enemy is not knowing, so fear is the enemy.

So the only thing we have to fear is fear itself?

I guess.  I'm just saying it isn't an action thriller.  There is no monster.