Vital Statistics: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Ted Levine; directed by Ivan Reitman.
Symptoms: Ivan Reitman, back at the helm of the sci-fi satire that ran him up the flagpole with Ghostbusters. David Duchovny brings his own audience with him from X-Files, and Orlando Jones (The Replacements) is gaining a lot of ground in reputation as a comedy actor. A trailer that gets a lot of laughs in theatres, and is obviously going for that same crowd that put Men In Black in the black.
Doctor's Notes: Okay, here's the deal. I'm the first one to admit that Evolution snagged my attention way before the trailer hit screens. I was a huge fan of Ghostbusters, because it poked the belly of the whole sci-fi genre, spotlighting the humor and satire of implausible situations. Ivan Reitman worked pure magic with that film. Granted, Bill Murray was in peak acting form, and the script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis is classic. but Reitman deserves credit for harnassing the manic creative energy that was evident in the finished film.
So, I see Ivan coming back to the genre! And he's bringing David Duchovny, of all people, with him! The possibilities were endless! The star of The X-Files, satirizing his own genre! I predicted this to be one of the sleeper hits of the summer!
If you'll excuse the quote from "Get Smart" -- I missed it by that much.
The premise has a big hunk of meteor crashing to earth in the Arizona desert. College professors Ira Kane (Duchovny) and Harry Block (Jones) are called out to investigate the scene. Back in the lab analyzing samples, they discover that the meteorite has deposited a slew of single celled life forms on our planet. But, as the title proclaims, they aren't staying solo for long. The military sends in General Woodman (Levine) and Dr. Allison Reed (Moore) to take over. The General doesn't want to hear Ira and Harry's warnings of just how bad the situation could get, but Allison becomes concerned that they're on target. So, acting as a rebel force, and joined by slacker-groupie Wayne Green (Scott), Ira and Harry set out to save the world.
Please re-read the preceding paragraph, and you'll recognize the familiar aroma of the Ghostbusters plot. So, why doesn't Evolution work nearly as well as Ghostbusters did? Very simple answer: there's no influence of Harold Ramis here.
Harold Ramis has been the writer of three of the funniest films from the past 25 years. Ramis co-wrote National Lampoon's Animal House, he wrote and directed Caddyshack, and he co-wrote Ghostbusters. (He's also credited for Stripes, Analyze This, Groundhog Day, and countless classic moments from TV's "SCTV".) In every instance, there is fast pacing, quick dialogue, and a sarcastic, smart-alecky sense of humor that makes everything feel energized and alive. Ivan Reitman channeled into this energy, and it clicked big in Ghostbusters.
Here, though, there's no fire. If this film had taken the big step and welcomed the satire of the situation, this could've been as wonderful and funny as the cult film Tremors. Both have the aura of being homages to those Japanese rubber-suit monster films that everyone loves to hate and hates to love. Tremors milked that whole hog. Evolution doesn't cash in on it, and it comes up flat more often than not.
I also have to say that, as much as I like Duchovny on X-Files, and, believe it or not, I like him as a comedic actor, he doesn't fit in here at all. He plays Ira very low-key and bland, and the performance just limps along, rather out of sorts with the movie. I would've liked to have seen someone with a frantic side in this role, and I think it would have made a difference. I kept thinking about Bill Pullman. Even better, for whatever reason, I'm now thinking Jeff Bridges. Add two parts Big Lebowski and one part of that straight-laced professor he played in The Mirror Has Two Faces, and you get what Ira Kane could have been.
Orlando Jones, unfortunately, ends up having to pull double-duty as comedy lead, and he just can't do it. Forcing the joke only makes it fall flat, and way too many jokes and gags here fall flat. And, for the life of me, I have no idea how Julianne Moore ended up in this film. She's hardly used, and when she is, it's nowhere near her potential. The semi-romantic scenes with her and Duchovny work, but just enough to make you wonder why she's not onscreen more. And, while we're playing the "recast the movie" game, let's finish out the board with Seann William Scott. I know he was cast to magnetize the teen audience, after his roles in American Pie and Road Trip, but he's tragically weak in this film. Philip Seymour Hoffman would've worked wonders in this part. Think of that wonderfully-manic character he played in Twister, and pump it up a bit, and this movie would've sailed.
For all it's sci-fi glitter, the special effects here are woefully inadequate. If this was done for the purpose of that earlier-spoken-of homage to the Japanese monster films, fine. But, uh, Ivan? If you're going to do that, you have to key the rest of the film in the same tone, pal. Leaving effects like this in a film, in this day and age, is only going to belittle what few things you do have working.
It seems almost a crime to say this, but somehow, the grand concept, the grand leader, the grand casting, they all blend to make a mediocre movie. At times I found myself looking to the bottom of the screen, hoping Mike Nelson and his two MST3K robots were sitting there, ready to skewer this thing. Alas, it had to fight it out on its own. And it just doesn't have the strength to go the distance.
Diagnosis: Friends and neighbors, give this one a look only if everything else is sold out. Unless you're a die-hard Duchovny fan, it's doubtful you're going to find a lot to impress you here.
Image copyright Dreamworks.
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under the knife