It’s not Quite Happening, Man

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

“The Happening” is far from a mass appeal film. As a character drama, it’s not bad at all. As a suspense thriller, it’s a pretty good effort with memorable sections but a rather disappointing conclusion. As a diatribe on environmental concerns, the film is a moderately interesting curiosity, far from persuasive, and unusual enough to become unintentional camp for many viewers, who are more likely to see it as a preachy, second-rate variation on Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”