[5]

Three scientists and a guy from off the street discover a crashed meteor that is begetting alien life forms that are evolving into monsters at a dangerous rate in this fantasy comedy from Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes). On one hand, Evolution is passable entertainment, but on the other hand, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s made on cold, left-over inspiration from Ghostbusters. From the four-character dynamic, the core concept (fighting a supernatural, absurd evil), to the marketing (the three-eyed smiley face is the new ‘no ghost’ icon), Evolution feels like a desperate attempt to resurrect Columbia Studios’ past successes — not only Ghostbusters, but Men in Black. Lack of originality isn’t the only problem, though. The script meanders for an hour and the whole film feels ‘back heavy’ as a result. There is little to no chemistry among the acting ensemble of David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, and Seann William Scott. And the film’s two (only?) biggest comic set pieces both revolve around an anus. It just seems that Ivan Reitman used to be a little classier than that. Not a whole lot, but a little. Dan Aykroyd appears in a thankless supporting role, and probably the best the thing about the movie is Phil Tippet’s special effects work.