The Happening (2008)
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A mysterious natural disaster causes mass suicides, forcing a small group of survivors to flee through a landscape where the very plants may be turning against humanity.
The story
In New York City's Central Park, people begin committing mass suicide, an event initially suspected to be a bio-terrorist attack involving an airborne neurotoxin. The behavior rapidly spreads across the Northeastern United States. High school science teacher Elliot Moore and his wife Alma are persuaded by a colleague to flee Philadelphia with their daughter. As they travel by train, they realize the scope of the crisis is expanding. The group eventually finds themselves in a rural area, where they must navigate a world where the source of the danger is increasingly mysterious and deadly, forcing them to seek safety while avoiding populated areas and the source of the contagion.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a mass suicide event in New York City is blamed on a neurotoxin, Elliot Moore, his wife Alma, and a friend's daughter Jess flee Philadelphia on a train. The train stops in a small town where the group learns that the crisis is widespread. After the companion's group is scattered, Elliot, Alma, and Jess join a nurseryman who believes plants have developed a toxin to kill humans. They join other survivors and decide to travel in small groups to avoid being targeted. They encounter a woman, Mrs. Jones, who is eventually affected by the toxin. The trio eventually realizes the plants target larger groups and they survive a moment of high tension. Three months later, they are living together as a family. While watching news of a similar event in Paris, Alma reveals she is pregnant, while the news warns of a potential global disaster.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Writers
- M. Night Shyamalan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mark Wahlberg · Elliot Moore; Zooey Deschanel · Alma Moore, Elliot's wife; John Leguizamo · Julian; Betty Buckley · Mrs. Jones; Ashlyn Sanchez · Jess, Julian's daughter; Frank Collison · nursery owner; Victoria Clark · nursery owner; Spencer Breslin · Josh
- Genres
- science fiction; thriller
- Themes
- environmentalism; paranoia
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; paranoid
- Setting
- New York City, Philadelphia, and the rural Northeastern United States, including Paris.
- Premise and plot tags
- disaster; survival; sci-fi
- Content notes
- R-rated
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews upon release, criticized for its acting and writing, but has since been re-evaluated by some as a deliberate and successful B-movie.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 34 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; CinemaScore · score: D · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Director · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · Nominated; Saturn Awards · Best Horror Film · Lost
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Green Effect.; The film's marketing was noted for its 'aggressive' tactics and 'great visuals'.; The film's score was composed by James Newton Howard in his sixth collaboration with Shyamalan.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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