New Shyamalan movie panned by critics

Rex Features

M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie has been panned by critics ahead of its release.

The Sixth Sense director's new film The Happening was described as "padded" and "uninspired".

Press screenings and interviews for the R-rated movie, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, were recently rumoured to have been cancelled.

Variety called the new production "a patchy, uninspired eco-thriller, whose R rating looks more like a box office hindrance than an artistic boon".

The Hollywood Reporter commented: "Shyamalan's latest feels, even at a swiftly paced 90 minutes, padded."

Shyamalan's last two films - 2004's The Village and 2006's Lady In The Water - both proved critical and commercial disappointments.

The Happening is scheduled for release on June 23.