10 Movies That Really Needed A Better Villain

3. The Happening

Verotika Albino Spider
Cleopatra Entertainment

Much like The Fog, M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening actually boasts a pretty neat premise, but it's undermined by its offputtingly silly presentation.

The idea of the Earth effectively turning on humanity and releasing a toxin which forces humans to commit suicide isn't terrible, but having the transmission medium be plants? Nah.

It doesn't help at all, of course, that Shyamalan conjures up a number of unintentionally hilarious and bizarre moments such as the sequence where Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) ends up talking to a plant which, of course, turns out to be plastic (as if it matters).

With a better script and more assured direction, The Happening could've made Twilight Zone-inspired gold out of Mother Nature turning everything we take for granted against us.

Instead, it came down to the accidental comedy and totally un-cinematic revelation that the plants were the "bad" guys all along.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.