Shyamalan, hulk are not 'happening' enough

Since making "Sixth Sense" in 1999, the brilliant American filmmaker of Indian descent has delivered a string of cerebral but downbeat films, such as "Signs" and "Unbreakable", drawing lacklustre box-office receipts.

None came close to his smash debut. "The Happening" tries to reverse the trend, and almost succeeds.

While it has echoes of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", "Happening" is only borderline scary, though the suspense level is high.

Shyamalan's plot of Nature taking its revenge on humanity  almost convinces you that the shrub at home could be the end of us all.

In "Birds", we see frenzied beaks smashing through windows and pecking people to death. Here, it's wave upon wave of self-laceration and mutilation, sometimes unsettling to watch.

Mark Wahlberg is excellent as the science teacher who tries to survive Shyamalan's doomsday scenario while helping Zooey Deschanel and a group of urban refugees to safety.

John Leguizamo, a powerhouse of an actor, plays Wahlberg's maths-teaching colleague.

If you're a Shyamalan fan, this effort is not to be missed.

Wahlberg's best work, however, is to be seen on television. Catch his show "Entourage" on cable.

the incredible hulk

In contrast to Ang Lee's "Hulk", this sequel is light on the angst and torment of a genetic freak, preferring to go straight for the kill.

Made by Marvel's new movie division, which recently gave us this season's best superhero - Ironman - the new "Hulk" has an equally solid cast, with Edward Norton's Bruce Banner being a far cry from Eric Bana's tormented portrayal.

"Transporter" director Louis Letterier gives the movie a sweeping dimension, moving from locations in Brazil to British Columbia, Canada to bring this latest action-packed saga to life.

William Hurt takes over the role of the general behind an experiment that created an oversized "Mr Hyde" while Liv Tyler plays Banner's big love.

Tim Roth is superb as the mercenary who mistakes the transformation drug as a kind of elixir, and suffers fateful results.

On the whole, the film is hard to resist. But in the climatic battle scene of two monsters clashing, the computer-created special effects fail to deliver the kind of quality it deserves.

Unlike the sophisticated technology employed by "King Kong" or "Jurassic Park", the film uses a fairly basic form of animation.

By the the time they get round to the third Hulk, maybe Marvel will have made enough money to create effects that do it justice.

There are two neat cameos: one with Stan Lee, Marvel's creator, drinking from a contaminated bottle; the second seeing Lou Ferrigno, the Hulk from the TV series, playing a security guard who can't resist pizza.

Hanuman has one important message for viewers: don't leave the theatre right after the final battle.

The scene that follows has clues about what to expect next from Marvel. When Robert Downey tells Hurt: "We are forming a team", he is referring to what may well be the ultimate Marvel band of superheroes, which includes Spider-Man, Ironman, Captain America and the Hulk.