Paranoia less than deep in "Happening" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - M. Night Shyamalan'sbreakout hit, "The Sixth Sense," achieved just the rightbalance of creepiness, horror, supernatural thrills and poppsychology. The writer-director has been chasing those elusivequalities ever since, sometimes down intriguing sci-fibackstreets ("Signs") but more often down blind alleys ("Ladyin the Water").

In "The Happening," he manages to recapture some of thoseelements, particularly the creepiness and supernatural thrills.But the central menace -- an airborne neurotoxin that causesmass suicides in the northeastern U.S. -- doesn't pan out asany kind of Friday night entertainment. The movie seems morelike a '50s science fiction film of extreme paranoia or anepisode of "The Twilight Zone" that feels padded even at aswiftly paced 90 minutes.

Look for "Happening" to land somewhere between the grossesof his most recent two films, the flop "Lady in the Water" ($42million) and the reasonably successful "The Village" ($114million). Much will depend on how younger audiences -- who withShyamalan's first R rating will be more challenged to gainentry -- react to scenes of mass suicide: Will they gasp orchuckle?

Shyamalan generally likes to place a small nuclear familyin jeopardy, and this film is no exception. High school scienceteacher Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel)have their problems, but these are swiftly overwhelmed by amysterious plague rushing from New York's Central Park towardtheir Philadelphia home. It causes people to grow disorientedand confused, stop in their tracks, then do terrible things tothemselves. Nature seems to be having one big freakout.

The couple takes to the road by train, then by car and onfoot. A fellow teacher, math instructor Julian (JohnLeguizamo), and his 8-year-old daughter, Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez),come along only for Julian to leave his child with them so hecan search for his wife who took another route out of town.

Everyone winds up in the Pennsylvania countryside. Thescience teacher decides, on the basis of absolutely noevidence, that the toxins are generated by plants and trees andare airborne, so every breath of air, every flutter of tallgrass or rush of wind causes hearts to stop. Even Elliot's moodring -- yes, he has a mood ring -- is going bananas.

But the movie's own logic and logistics are never clear. Ifthe toxins are in the wind, where is everyone rushing to? Whyaren't our heroes taking shelter in airless buildings orbreaking into pharmacies for an antidote to suicidaltendencies? We're told that the toxins attack people in largegroups, but then an old kook (played with an odd stridency bystage and screen veteran Betty Buckley) kills herself with noone around.

The ecological idea of Planet Earth striking back athumankind might bring a smile to Al Gore, but in terms ofcinematic intrigue and nail-biting tension, it's just nothappening.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter