Summary Capsule
A fearsome four fight ferocious phlegm (or, Wacky aliens invade wacky town and wacky scientists investigate... wackily!)
Summary Capsule
| reviews |
PoolMan's Rating: What do you know? You CAN do Ghostbusters without Bill Murrary?
PoolMan's Review: Man, I was so up in the air on this one... Evolution absolutely caught my eye when it came out last year. I mean, starring David Duchovny and Orlando Jones (two guys whose comedic chops strangely appeal to me), brought to you by Ivan Reitman (the man behind Ghostbusters), and featuring some great CG creature effects which looked great without being too much. I missed it in theaters, and always kind of kicked myself for it. And now I know I was right to do so (kick myself, that is).
This flick is made out of entirely the same energy Ghostbusters is, and yet comes off as entirely its own film. Duchovny really has this knack for cracking me up with this "I'm not acting" acting style. Sure, the guy's wooden, but to deliver some of the lines this guy gets with a straight face either takes real skill, or his dog died right before the shoot. He's perfect. He's almost Venkman, actually (and if you don't believe me, get the DVD with the deleted scenes, and check out the hotel room scene with Allison. It's great). But look at me. A review line and two paragraphs, and I've already got more Ghostbusters references than my Ghostbusters review. Get on with it, Pooly!
Evolution takes a pretty standard concept and grows it in a direction that's been done before, but rarely with this much fun. It's a reasonably predictable creature flick. A meteor crashes to earth, unleashing a dormant single celled life form which, thanks to the Arizona heat, suddenly leaps to life and begins evolving. Hundreds of millions of years worth of evolution passes in just days. But what starts as scientific curiousity goes bad as complex beasties start springing up and eating the townsfolk. Enter our team of Ira (Duchovny, as a disgraced military scientist turned teacher), Harry (Jones, as Ira's oversexed partner at the college), Wayne (Seann William Scott, a goofy flunked-out fireman), and Allison (Julianne Moore, in a surprisingly funny turn as a pitifully clumsy military researcher) to clean up the mess.
Everything about this movie screams improv and little touches. The actors look like they're having a field day with their lines (especially Jones, with so many great lines you'll really start to feel sorry for his character). It's nice to have that level of just goofy fun and energy instead of taking cheesy sci fi all seriously. And believe you me, this is CHEEZY cheese, with a capital 'Z'. The leaps of logic that you have to take are thankfully watered down by the fact that the leaps you took before ramp you up to each new one. I mean, what's that whole bit with the periodic table at the end? Buh? But there's tons of stuff here to love... for some reason, I was cracking myself up on the fact that they're staring down the flying alien with shotguns they've stolen from a mall, and the price tags are still hanging off the guns. That may not be comedy to some, but I loved the little things in this flick.
Now be aware folks: this is a David Duchovny movie. For me, that's great. For a lot of people I know, they'd sooner have Justin clip their toenails with garden shears and a blindfold. If you think Duchovny's not worth the couple of bucks for rental, then don't say I didn't warn you. But if I sound like I'm complaining, I'm not. The actors had great chemistry, the creatures were clear and present threats without being overbearing, and the dialogue is memorable. This was hands down really funny in a way that I haven't seen since the Boys in Gray suited up against the Marshmallow Man. And I promise, that's the last Ghostbusters ref.
There is no Dana, only Zuul.
Damn.
Canuck Alert! Canadian comedy legend Dan Aykroyd (why can nobody spell the poor man's name right?) takes a turn as the governor of Arizona. Between him and Jesse Ventura, I'm torn on who I'd rather have as my leader!
Justin's Rating: Twin moon rising
Justin's Review: Evolution is a movie made by people obsessed with the human butt. As you well know, if you're a male, there is nothing funnier in the world than butt-related jokes. I shall neither confirm nor deny reports that I and a few friends once mooned a field of cows on spring break, nearly laughing so hard that the cows almost got us. My roomie in college "discovered" that anal methane was flammable my junior year, which he used to nearly burn a hole through his bedsheets. So what is it about the butt, whether it be smooth and firm or vaguely resemble Ed McMahon, that is so humorous? I'm not sure, but I do think it has to do with that little evil kid in all of us who loved the battle taunting scene in Braveheart. Evolution gives us human butts, alien butts, sphincter-related jokes, and shampoo enemas. It's a good time to be alive.
It may shock you to your very core, but I actually agree with Pooley up there. Evolution was unjustly deemed not worthy of the Ghostbusters mantle by the critics, and the stupid people who listened to them kept shaking their heads through the film going, "Well, this ain't no giant Twinkie." Fie on them, fie I say! (The previous insult attributed to my friend Lara, who actually used this seriously in a conversation once) I urge you, give Evolution its own birthright as an individual film, and I think you'll find, as I have, that it grows on you like a good comedy should.
As with a lot of my favorite comedies, Evolution didn't overwhelm me with the funny the first time out, but I knew that I was pleasantly surprised. Once I dug its own brand of humor (Ghostbusters meets Men In Black meets THEM! meets many butts), my suspicion was confirmed that this new outing from Ivan Reitman would find a place in my home library. David Duchovney's quiet yet somewhat unstable Ira has the makings of one of the great antiheroes... and Orlando Jones and Seann William Scott both have their talents to bring to the table (both of which revolve around being loud and smirking a lot).
In its own fun way, Evolution takes the classic alien invasion story, wraps it into a twist, and serves it with the sides of sarcasm and fries. Is good. See it. Blame PoolMan for results, he reviewed it first.
| extras |
 2001 Rated PG-13 SciFi Comedy Director
Starring
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The Movie Store!
Intermission!
There are six deleted scenes on the DVD version, one of which is an alternate ending (shown in one test screening and jettisoned after preview audience didn't like it) The alternate ending depicted David Ducovney and Julianne Moore 8 months later, with her pregnant. They're at the hospital and the audience believes that they're talking to the docter about Allison's baby. However, they enter a room to find Orlando Jones in labor. Apparently, the alien that was inside him gave him a little more than he expected. The docter begins to go after it, but then Jones wakes up in a cold sweat, reassuring himself that it was just a dream. He stands up and the audience sees that his ass is as big as it was in the "dream". He enters his bathroom and is heard screaming (presumably after seeing himself in a mirror).
Evolution has a sequel... of sorts. Alienators: Evolution Continues was/is a cartoon series broadcasted on Fox in 2001.
Evolution's earliest scripts had it being a straight-out SciFi horror flick, in the same vein of John Carpenter's The Thing.
Official and Not-So-Official Websites
You don't want to know what's in that hose... |
Ira: If you were an alien in a shopping mall, where would you be?
Harry: Lingerie.
Ira: Not you. The alien.
Harry: Lingerie.
Harry: Great googa mooga!
Harry: No sex?
Ira: No time for sex.
Nadine: Bummer.
Harry: Don't you snap at me, unless you want an angry Solid Gold Dancer on your hands!
(the doc is trying to get an alien out from under Harry's skin)
Doctor: There's no time for lubricant!
Harry: There's ALWAYS time for lubricant!!!
Allison: You were so brave. Can I get you anything?
Harry: Ice cream. I'd like an ice cream
Allison: Okay. What flavour?
Harry: Doesn't matter. It's for my ass.
(upon seeing an alien "birth")
Harry: Mazeltov! It's a boy!
Allison: I would have rocked your world.
Ira: You already have.
Harry: I think we've established that "kaw kaw" and "tookie tookie" doesn't work!
Harry: That dog is all ass.
Ira: I came across two gems. Both entitled, "Cells Are Bad." Both with just one paragraph, which I unfortunately committed to memory: "Cells are bad. My uncle lives in a cell. It's 10 foot by 12 and he has to read the same old boring magazine every day. The End."
Harry: Ira, are you sure you can handle this all by your lonesome?
Harry: Does the Nobel pay in installments or a lump sum, like the lottery?
Ira: Snag one and put it in the bucket.
Harry: I seen this movie. The black dude dies first.
Wayne: Let me fix you something special [quietly] 'cause you're a big fat monkey turd.
Soundtrack Review
If there's anything I love in a soundtrack, it's COMPLETELY random moments in the movie where the characters all "funk out" for no reason. Excellent.
DVD Review
A fairly nice DVD, though it is strangely missing the trailer. But it's worth it for the deleted scenes, including the hotel room scene and the alternate ending. Other points of interest are the animated menus and a cast/crew commentary.
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