Evolution

Starring: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Dan Aykroyd
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy
Box Office: $38,345,494
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 5

Summary: A meteorite crashes into earth, and is discovered by two community college professors (David Duchovny, Orlando Jones). They soon discover that the meteorite has brought an alien lifeform to Earth. What starts out as single-celled organisms soon evolve at an incredible rate. The professors must team up with a wannabe firefighter (Seann William Scott) and a governmental scientist (Julianne Moore). Now, the team must to stop the alien lifeform before it takes over the world.

Review:

Tim: I don't care at all what critics said about this movie- it is hilarious. It's so funny and this would be on my short list of favorite comedies of all time. It's not exactly revolutionary humor, but the film just works so well. Director Ivan Reitman has proved himself in the comedy department, and despite what many critics say, I firmly believe this is another hit.

David Duchovny is amazing in the film. He must have wanted to try something different from The X-Files (ha). Seriously though, in a movie decently close to his long running television series, he manages to make us forget all about Agent Mulder. He and Orlando Jones are great on screen together. This pairing is terrific, but only becomes outrageously funny once Seann William Scott joins them. This trio makes watching the movie fun. I really like these three actors together, and they have some terrific scenes. The scenes in the shopping mall are memorable and quite hysterical. They are among the highlights of the film. I really believe that the writing for this film was incredible. There are so many humorous lines that come out rapid fire at the audience, that it's easy to miss them. I can quote a number of lines from this movie, and I'm not big in the movie quotes department. They just stuck in my brain, however- and that is one mark of a good script.

I suppose the science in this movie is a little suspect (and gets more outlandish at the end of the film), but this is a comedy, and most of that is forgiven. I was actually surprised by how much real-life science was in this film. That comes from the script originally not being a comedy. I love that the real life scientific theory was kept in the script.

This is just a fun film that is enjoyable to watch. It also has some very funny lines, my favorite perhaps is Orlando Jones' "Great Googamooga!" Listen carefully to the dialogue, because the movie is extraordinarily well written. It's really, really funny.

I am completely honest about the fact that Evolution is a silly comedy that most people passed by upon its initial release. However, it remains one of my all-time favorite comedies, and a movie that I love despite any criticism that may be leveled at it. I love the cast, the dialogue, and whole sheer silliness (and yet, it's grounded in scientific reality) of the whole thing. Evolution is the one of the most fun movies I've ever seen.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The X-Files, THe Replacements, Hannibal, American Pie, Mars Attacks