A meteor crashes to Earth in the Arizona desert. It turns out that it's oozing very primitive life forms that take almost no time in evolving into bigger, more advanced, and deadlier predatory aliens. Two community college science teachers, Ira (David Duchovny), and Harry (Orlando Jones), are first to make the discovery. Soon, they are getting pushed aside by an aggressive military led by condescending General Woodman (Ted Levine). But Ira and Harry work with a government scientist (Julianne Moore), a goofy wannabe fireman (Seann William Scott), and two of Ira's students to foil what promises to be a full-scale alien invasion.
Don't expect anything in terms of real-world type logic and you can have a pretty good time with this one. It's pure science-fantasy, and while one could easily accuse veteran filmmaker Ivan Reitman of trying to relive his "Ghost Busters" glory here, there are a pleasant amount of laughs and thrills to enjoy. "Evolution" is loud, boisterous, and features some absolutely great creatures. Veteran effects man Phil Tippett was the main visual effects supervisor, so you do expect (and get) a degree of quality and imagination. Not all of the CGI is created equal, but in general, there are some fun visuals to entertain the viewer. The alien ecosystem that develops inside the crater is one such example. Excellent location shooting and a bombastic John Powell music score help to make this a good watch, even if it's not as memorable as "Ghost Busters", and not destined to be nearly as iconic.
The actors are a delight, with Duchovny getting another chance to show off his comedic chops. Adding to that is the fact that his is a character in need of some redemption and validation. The lovely Ms. Moore likewise endears herself as a character with a potential to be klutzy at times. Jones is lively and engaging, and has one of the best lines in the picture. Scott doesn't have to stretch himself too much, although he does come up with a highly unlikely method of attracting the attention of an enormous flying reptile. A steady parade of familiar faces in supporting roles (including Dan Aykroyd as the governor) is another asset.
Overall, "Evolution" is amiable fun, with a decent script by David Diamond, David Weissman, and Don Jakoby, and assured direction by Reitman.
Seven out of 10.
Don't expect anything in terms of real-world type logic and you can have a pretty good time with this one. It's pure science-fantasy, and while one could easily accuse veteran filmmaker Ivan Reitman of trying to relive his "Ghost Busters" glory here, there are a pleasant amount of laughs and thrills to enjoy. "Evolution" is loud, boisterous, and features some absolutely great creatures. Veteran effects man Phil Tippett was the main visual effects supervisor, so you do expect (and get) a degree of quality and imagination. Not all of the CGI is created equal, but in general, there are some fun visuals to entertain the viewer. The alien ecosystem that develops inside the crater is one such example. Excellent location shooting and a bombastic John Powell music score help to make this a good watch, even if it's not as memorable as "Ghost Busters", and not destined to be nearly as iconic.
The actors are a delight, with Duchovny getting another chance to show off his comedic chops. Adding to that is the fact that his is a character in need of some redemption and validation. The lovely Ms. Moore likewise endears herself as a character with a potential to be klutzy at times. Jones is lively and engaging, and has one of the best lines in the picture. Scott doesn't have to stretch himself too much, although he does come up with a highly unlikely method of attracting the attention of an enormous flying reptile. A steady parade of familiar faces in supporting roles (including Dan Aykroyd as the governor) is another asset.
Overall, "Evolution" is amiable fun, with a decent script by David Diamond, David Weissman, and Don Jakoby, and assured direction by Reitman.
Seven out of 10.