[critical] Phenomena

Popped up out of nowhere, the phenomenon strikes indiscriminately. There are no warning signs. In a few minutes, dozens, hundreds of people die in strange circumstances, terrifying, completely incomprehensible. What is it that causes this radical subversion and a sudden surge of human behavior ?

Author’s Note

[rating:6/10]

• Release Date : 11 June 2008

• Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

• Movie, indian, american

• With Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo

• Duration : 1h 30min

• Original title : The Happening

• Trailer :

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Both say clearly and immediately, before returning to itself in the film, the Phenomena is not so phenomenal that it and M. Night Shyamalan, Mr. Sixth Sense when we had gotten used to a little better. A little better, yes, because his latest film is not very addictive and did not have to find a taker in the head of a lot of spectators.

Why ? Why this movie is not “the” film ? Why the sauce does-does it not ?

Already, we can read on a plexiglass reception of the film : “Warning : scenes, words or images may offend the sensibilities of the audience”. Either. But at this time, there is deception on the goods gentlemen the censors. Because apart from one or two scenes of “limits” – I think of the scene in the park and the lions for example – there is nothing very bloody.

Or in any case nothing that could make us say “the Dickens ! Still happy that they we have been warned !”. I know a good number of films called “gores” which had no warnings to under 12 years of age, for example, during their theatrical releases. Indeed, the latest George A. Romero , which comes out this June 25, does “that” the “not under 12” so that it was a time, the only name Romero used to be embarrassed no matter who because the cognoscenti know that they had one of the masters of gore in front of them (The Night Of the Living Dead, Zombie, etc).

Therefore, on this point, there is in my opinion a small passage vacuum.

Then, some of the criticisms we announced the film as being “one of the most terrifying films of M. Night Shyamalan“. Yeah. To tell the truth, it is still relatively far away. Some of the scenes of Sixth Sense , for example, had made me even more startled that Phenomena. And this is not simply the fact of jump or shout. No, it’s more that here, there is a lack of suspense, adrenaline, which does not climb, which does not come, that does definitely not.

It has action, raw around the edges, after the fact, but we don’t have the mouth water, we don’t have to wait unbearable before a scene. If the word “thriller” is displayed on one of the tags describing this movie, it is to be banned, definitely. Phenomena has no scene that comes close, near or far, to the thriller, let’s be clear.

We still have what ? The positive points of the film ? The role held by Mark Wahlberg.

The actor is quite good at what he does, and personally, the first film that I have joined was The Planet Of the Apes from our friend Tim Burton. A certain amount of humor comes by the time of the film. The scene where Mark Wahlberg is talking to a flower for example, which turns out to be made of plastic, is pretty funny.

Now, it remains the background of the film. The probability for such a phenomenon occurs is quite small. This is obviously a fantasy film before any other thing, and this allows us to travel a little outside of our nails usual, our routine.

I would tell of course, not the end, but it is still a classic. We will not say anything more except “go see a Sunday afternoon, it will pass the time !”.