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Spoilers for M.Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Happening’
It appears that pivotal plot points of M. Night Shyamalan’s not so highly anticipated thriller, The Happening (which stars Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, and Zooey Deschanel) have leaked all over the Internet.
Major spoilers are revealed in the next paragraph. So if you don’t want any details to be spoiled for you, stop reading! You’ve been warned!
Cinematical gives us this:
Something in Philadelphia is making people kill themselves and the phenomenon is believed to be caused by an airborne virus. A group of characters believe rural areas to be safe until they see a group of people who have hanged themselves. Attempts to seal up the car prove futile, and the driver rams the vehicle into a tree. The only survivor is John Leguizamo’s character who proceeds to slit his own wrists.
Hopefully this information is not true, because major re-writes will have to be done. Not because the ending is a total bummer, but because everyone will know the ending to a Shyamalan film before it comes out!
Personally, I respect M. Night Shyamalan as a filmmaker. Sure he’s not the most consistent director out there, but I do think he’s a talent director who is capable of so much more than he has been giving audiences lately. (*cough The Village and Lady in the Water *cough)
‘The Happening’s premise sounds quite intriguing and very creepy, but will it be enough to get audiences to forget his previous commercial failures and go see it?
This scene is from a script that has been floating around.
I’ve read the script, but heard there have been many changes, including the ending (which was awful, by the way. on the same logical level as “Signs”).
This Leguizamo scene doesn’t take place at the end, but about two thirds of the way through.
Overall, the movie seems like it will be very gruesome and the body count racks up just in the first few pages.
Was the car coming back from a screening of The Village?
I was reading this via google’s newsreader and as soon as I saw “Personally, I respect M. Night Shyamalan as a filmmaker”, I knew John didn’t post it…
His past few movies have so stained his reputation, does he really have any draw anymore? Maybe he should branch out and try to write a dramatic movie that doesn’t end with a twist–I hear they still bankroll those types of films.
Long live the Shamhammer!
While I haven’t been the biggest Shamham fan, I really liked ‘Signs’. I had mixed reactions to ‘Unbreakable’, and as for ‘Sixth’’s twist, I went ‘meh’, and enjoyed Dave Keopp’s ‘Stir Of Echoes’ all that much more (talk about films that deserved better fates, MB!) …
But ‘Village’ was the undoing, because the twist didn’t make any sense at all. ‘Lady In The Water’ was a bad, bad joke. But y’know what?
Cinematical, or whoever leaked this ‘twist’ should hang thier heads in SHAME.
I don’t care if the twist is lame or sheer brillance. Defend them if you want, but I do have a *major* problem when sites, regardless of who they are, spoil anything and everything before a film is made and/or comes out. It’s bad enough when the studios do it in trailers on occasion.
Shyamalan may have tripped up his last few times at bat, and perhaps this “spoiler” is to stick it to him because since ‘Village’ he’s been really into himself, but all directors have a clunker or two. I don’t care where these scenes take place, I just just think it is crass to give them away. Once M Night gets his grounding again, the audiences -and critics- will return.
That aside…………
I have found in recent years everyone’s gotta have “the Twist” be it action, thrillers or horror pics, and in most cases, the twist doesn’t hold up (the recent ‘War’), is telegraphed early (such as ‘The Others’) or poorly “explained” in the sequels (looking at you, ‘Saw”)
So, I’m sort of hoping M Night doesn’t have any twists, after all, his best film -Signs- didn’t have any crazy spin. It would be a shame, however, if that turns out to be his peak.
Follow up:
It is kind of strange to say “Don’t read this any further” but it isn’t hidden, it is in the first intro paragraph, and it is highlighted. Just an odd thought.
NOT that it really matters now….
I actually liked the Village!!!!
They’re still letting Shamhammer direct? Other than Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, he’s shit.
since when does the movie blog create posting that have no purpose but to reveal the very end of a film?
if i were serena, i would delete this post. it is pointless.
just my opinion, don’t mean no offense.
I’m with you on this one, Darren
I dont care if they would have had it cloaked in inviso-text, giving away a twist or a big plot point is reprehensible as far as I’m concerned.
Shame on you…
It’s not the very end. Leguizamo is just a supporting character and has nothing to do with the ending or “the twist.”
I loved “Lady In The Water” and “the Village” and I’m Sure “the Happening” will be just as good. I do agree that his first movies
were better though.
I’m new to this site, and had to say something! I am a big M. Night fan, my faves being Signs, Sixth Sense & Unbreakable…least being Lady in the Water & The Village(my very least fave). M. Night is a very talented Director/Producer/Writer, and every director out there can have 1 or 2 miss fires. He (M. Night) does give what we want(maybe not with Village & Lady), but I think it’s unfair to leak anything out to spoil anything! We all may be surprised…He has what it takes & has proven it!!
seriously?! i loved sixth senses and the village! i only liked signs and unbreakable…and lady in the water was just so long and slow…but the happening doesn’t look like it will have any trouble keeping me engaged…
Just had to comment after reading the above postings….ever hear of the 1st amendment? Maybe it is out of a few peoples league anymore with the onset of nut jobs like Tipper Gore, nevertheless, if you do not want to know the ending…don’t read it. It is in no shape, way, or form, reprehesibile for exercising First Amendment RIGHTS. Do not chastise someone! I personally thank the author for sparing me two lost hours of my life and $35 bucks in expenses (not to count gas) at the cineplex!
Before bashing any or all M. Night’s movies, whatever one feels necessary, we have to take into account that he is one of the most unique directors/writers/producers that has come around in a looooong time. It is an understatement to say that M. Night “thinks outside the box.” No one can undermine his ability to build up the suspense in a film and make his entire audience jump in unison. One also has to remember the fact that Shyamalan makes movies to make a point. No his movies are not Oscar worthy, no his movies are not the most spectacular and digitally mastered, BUT his movies DEFINITELY always have some bigger purpose. The Happening is a perfect example of this fact. If you’ve seen it, you know what that purpose is. A quote from the movie, “…this was a warning.” This movie was M. Night’s warning to us and it cannot be taken lightly….