Product Description

OUTRAGEOUS AND HILARIOUS. YOU'LL LAUGH OUT LOUD AND ENJOY THE FUN ACTION AND OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD SPECIAL EFFECTS AS THESE UNLIKELY HEROES BATTLE THE MOST UNECPECTED GROUP OF ALIENS YOU'LL EVER SEE.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7329 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2001-12-26
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.com
Based on the evidence in Evolution, one thing is perfectly clear: special effects have evolved, but director Ivan Reitman has reverted to primitive pandering. Equally obvious is the fact that Evolution is a de facto rip-off of Reitman's 1984 classic Ghostbusters, but this time there's no Bill Murray to deliver the best punch lines (we have to settle for fellow ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd in a broad supporting role), and the comedy has devolved into a grossfest including deep-rectal extraction of alien insects, fire-hose enemas into a giant alien sphincter, and a full-moon display of David Duchovny's naked posterior. Whereas Ghostbusters was a shrewd, irreverent mainstream comedy that combined gooey spectral ectoplasm with something resembling genuine wit, Evolution is a crude, juvenile romp in which all things slimy are elevated to comedic supremacy.

Granted, that's not always a bad thing. As latter-day ghostbuster equivalents, Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Seann William Scott make a fine comedic trio, and Julianne Moore is equally amusing as a clumsy scientist and Duchovny's obligatory love interest. Despite the meddling of clueless military buffoons, they join forces to eradicate a wild variety of rapidly evolving alien creatures that arrived on Earth via meteor impact, and the extraterrestrial beasties (courtesy of effects wizard Phil Tippet and crew) are outrageously designed and marvelously convincing. For anyone who prefers lowbrow humor, Evolution will prove as entertaining as Ghostbusters (or at least Galaxy Quest), while others may lament Reitman's shameless embrace of crudeness. One thing's for certain: after seeing this movie, you'll gain a whole new appreciation for Head & Shoulders shampoo. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
It starts as a fifties war-of-the-worlds pastiche: an alien life-form arrives in a meteor and quickly mutates, threatening to destroy Arizona as we know it. But the life-form has a hidden weakness, and only two junior-college science teachers (David Duchovny and Orlando Jones) can stop it. As they investigate, the two men become a joshing white-black buddy team, a low-grade version of the partnership between Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in "Men in Black." The lousy jokes they exchange undercut the tension and destroy what might have been an interesting idea: that the organism, energized by the earth's atmosphere, will recap the process of evolution from a single-cell organism to primate in only a few days. Played for laughs, the idea just seems an odd way of launching a multitude of bugs, dinosaurs, and apes into houses and shopping malls. The movie itself mutates from one thing to another, throwing in beer slobs for the frat-house crowd, fart jokes for the preteens, and so on. Directed by Ivan Reitman, who used to know what he was doing. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Good effects, good cast, good fun
Let's be entirely honest here, "Evolution" is a silly movie based upon a barely palpable grasp on science. However, it doesn't matter because it is genuinely entertaining. The plot is just plausible enough to allow the viewer to enjoy a great cast offering up some genuinely funny lines amidst some very good CGI (and I write this two years after the film was released).

The story revolves around rapidly evolving alien life forms that arrive in Arizona via a meteorite. This nod to the theory of Panspermia shows that while the link to real science may be tenuous, it won't be severed altogether. This is an element that the viewer comes to appreciate as it allows a reasonable suspension of disbelief, which adds to the movie's appeal.

As these "aliens" become more sophisticated they wreak a rapidly escalating amount of havoc on a nearby medium sized city. It is here that our rag-tag band of heroes, David Duchovny as a disgraced biologist, Orlando Jones as a geologist who is more interested in anatomy than rocks, Julianne Moore as a hard driving CDC researcher and Seann William Scott as...well, Seann William Scott, come to the rescue. OF course, along the way they face the requisite bone-headed general, not to mention the rigors of a Division III women's volleyball schedule. Nonetheless, they rally together and triumph in fine style. The reason why this journey is fun to watch is simple: while each one of these actors offers up an excellent performance (particularly impressive given Moore and Duchovny aren't known for comedy), it is as an ensemble that they really shine. In particular, the exchanges between the three men are always hilarious as Duchovny plays a perfect straight-man for Jones and Scott. Moreover, Moore shows a remarkable ability for prat-falls that are the highlight of some strong physical acting.

As the film progresses to an inevitable showdown with the aliens, the viewer is treated to more great performances from the supporting cast, including a cameo from Dan Akroyd that is perfectly delivered. At the same time, the effects, which are contemporaneous with "Jurassic Park II" still view well, even if they aren't cutting edge. In particular, there is a dragon -type creature that ranks among the best CGI creations I have encountered (pre-Gollum of LOTR, of course).

Finally, unlike far too many DVD's, "Evolution" offers a great value in terms of quality and extras. The sound and picture are both excellent, but that is becoming more of the norm than the exception. Where the disc really shines is in the bonus features. The deleted scenes are well chosen and include commentary that offers an interesting look at the film making process. Moreover, storyboards, commentary and visual effects features all make for an entertaining, interesting viewing experience.

What this review really comes down to is this: if you don't appreciate silly humor, if you pick apart movies for the slightest flaws, skip "Evolution", you won't like it. Conversely, if you enjoy the give and take that comes from a cast that obviously enjoys working together, if you appreciate good special effects, and if a good "popcorn" movie is what you crave, "Evolution" is right up your alley. I've watched it literally dozens of times and I never get tired of it. It's eminently quotable, fun to watch, and makes great use of its cast, and silly or not, is a movie I never get tired of.

Enjoy!

Jake Mohlman

husky
I was able to catch a preview screening for this movie the other day, and I have hardly laughed so hard in all my life! The plot is as follows:

A giant meteor crashes into a cave in Arizona and two sceintists (David Duchovney and Orlando Jones) are called in to have a look at it. They manage to find, that alien creatures are quickly evolving from the meteorite and spreading out of the cave.

I don't want to say to much more as not to wreck the story, so I'll just give you the bottom line. This movie is truly funny, espicially Orlando Jones' and Seann Scott's performances. I gurantee, you'll bust a gut.

Ivan Reitman Strikes Again
Did you like Ghostbusters? If yes, then go see Evolution. It takes the classic Ghostbusters comedic formula, updates it, and gives it a spiffy new context. (To you purists, no: the films are not exact parallels.) They do, however, share several key plot devices and the fast-paced, subtle wit for which Reitman has become justifiably recognized. Before this review starts sounding too pretentious, I'm going to cut it off and hit the highlights:

1) This movie is extremely funny. True, David Duchovny isn't Bill Murray, but then again, we can't go rating movies based on their Bill Murray content (That would put Wild Things higher than some of Kevin Bacon's more refined work--something that simply cannot be done.)

2) It's entertaining! Unlike most movies, I actually walked out of this one having had a thourougly good time. Sure, it had failings, but those couldn't detract from the sheer entertainment value.

3) Sure, the special effects are kinda transparent. The plot and cast manage to hold up just fine, and actually carry the show themselves--instead of falling back on crowd-pleasing effects shots.

Go see it. If it's already out of theaters, rent it or buy it.