Evolution Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)June 21st, 2001
Evolution
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Written by David Diamond, David Weissman, and Don Jakoby
Starring David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, and Seann William Scott
Official Site: http://www.countingdown.com/evolution/index2.html Grade: C-
Movie concepts are often pitched to producers with mathematical formulas involving successful films of the past. So, undoubtedly one day someone said, "'Evolution?' It's 'Ghostbusters' plus 'Men in Black' plus 'Tremors.'" And so it is. Sum total none.
The alienbusting begins when a meteor lands in Glen Canyon, Arizona. Community college science profs Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and Harry Block (Orlando Jones) take some samples from the meteor and discover that one-celled organisms from inside it are evolving rapidly, doing in hours what took millions of years for life on earth. Just about the time I was wondering, "Hey, doesn't the government usually come in and take over the whole area in these movies," the government came in and took over the whole area. The leader of the pack, Gen. Woodman (Ted Levine), turns out to be an old nemesis of Ira's, and Ira and Harry are blocked from doing further research.
Meanwhile, the organisms continue to grow until they are large enough to start attacking people. By this time, Ira and Harry have gained a friend in Dr. Allison Reed (Julianne Moore) of the Center for Disease Control. A country club poolboy, Wayne Green (Seann William Scott), has also attached himself to the merry band. But can they find the means to stop the aliens in time?
Director Ivan Reitman seems to be revisiting his biggest hit, 1984's "Ghostbusters," but "Evolution" falls miserably short. One reason is readily apparent. "Ghostbusters" had three really funny guys as its scientists (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis), but "Evolution" has ONE really funny guy (Orlando Jones) who can adlib and milk the comic potential of lines that prove useless in anyone else's hands. For good measure, "Ghostbusters" had the comic talents of Rick Moranis; "Evolution" offers Seann William Scott, who was much funnier in "American Pie" and "Road Trip" than he is here. Scott has one amusing scene where he sings "You Are So Beautiful to Me" to a dragon-like alien to draw it into a trap. Other than that, Scott seems unable to make much of the thin material the writers gave him.
An actor in search of a forte, David Duchovny looked for his gritty action hero side in "Playing God" and his romantic side in "Return to Me." Now he wants to find his wacky comedic talent; what we all find is that he doesn't have any. Look for him to be back on TV in five years or so.
Another sad case is Julianne Moore, who needs to be more selective about the offers she accepts. She's a talented actress with an impressive list of credits and award nominations, so why is she trying to do slapstick comedy? Her character has a tendency to trip over and bump into things, but the trait comes off as a pathetic plea for laughs.
The sole saving grace of the film is Jones. He's at the center of the movie's funniest scene -- where an alien bug invades Harry's body and has to be pulled out through his ass. Jones is the only cast member who can take the comedic ball and run with it, but he can't carry the whole movie by himself. He found himself in a similar situation in "The Replacements," where he was also the only comic talent in an ensemble cast. Jones will eventually find the project that will make him a major comedy star, but this isn't it.
Bottom line: Unevolved
© 2001 Christian L. Pyle
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