I'm convinced these movies are tied at the hip in being disaster films commenting on post-9/11 America. Both invoke terrorism directly in dialogue. Tom and the kids map perfectly onto the group from Signs right down to Mel also being a crazy Catholic irl. Abigail Breslin and Dakota Fanning were interchangeable. Spielberg and Shyamalan are in dialogue here.

War of the Worlds is Spielberg's reaction to 9/11 encouraging assimilation by means of contact, cultural exchange, and free trade. The work at the shipping yard to open the film invokes this, and the circulation of bacteria passively ends the alien attempt to colonize the world. It's a weird role reversal, and Spielberg fails to humanize the aliens despite trying in a few scenes towards the end.

The Happening says wait a minute, why does this stuff happen at all? Rather than prescribe a solution, he asks humanity to take some culpability in causing it. The scene at the model house where everything is fake and made of plastic points to absurd, unsustainable consumption. People split apart and isolate themselves to survive, but they've got to learn how to trust and understand one another eventually. That's the only way to move forward.

COMPARABLES
Children of Men (2006), the best version
World War Z (2013), the worst version

War Of The Servers (G-Mod movie)>

War of the world is actually a good time

I had way more fun rewatching Happening.
War of the Worlds is better but it's so intense. Bad ending too.

Good and true thread
I like both movies

Your wired different then me man. I can never get through the happening. For me intense = fun/good time.

I mean that screengrab up top is referencing Jews hiding during WWII. Cruise and his kids have some heavy family drama. Tim Robbins murder.

Anytime The Happening gets dark I'm just like "oh f***, i forgot I was supposed to take this seriously'.

I want my blockbuster to have some contrast. War of the Worlds is a better movie tho. Happening requires a sense of irony to enjoy fully

Children of men >>>>

nah

yeah

The Happening is low key funny I don’t put it on the same level of WotW at all.

The Happening stunk

Oh easily. Different leagues entirely

never saw the happening but i thought war of the worlds was dope af when i saw it as a kid

the rittenhouse square scene is lowkey legendary

war of the worlds is pretty great. so yea, that one

The Happening is a good time too if you’re in the mood for unintentional comedy

Happening was one of the first "funny bad" movies I remember seeing in high school

After opening my kino eye tho, I like it quite a bit. The elevated reality of it mixed with the premise is crazy

War of the worlds is good, never seen the happening

War of the worlds is awesome. I still remember seeing that in the theater in 2005 when it came out. So I have nostalgia for it as well.

too bad Shyamalan fell off

his best movie came out in 2021

War of the worlds cool the plants are stupid