Rent Evolution on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Don Jakoby (story), David Diamond & David Weissman and Don Jakoby (screenplay)
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, Seann William Scott, Ted Levine, Ethan Suplee, Ty Burrell, Dan Aykroyd, Sarah Silverman, Kyle Glass
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Two college professors team up with a fire-fighting cadet and a government scientist to combat an alien organism that has been rapidly evolving since its arrival on Earth inside a meteor.
Verdict
It's not a new concept, but the twist is rapidly evolving aliens. The creature designs are creative, but the rest of this movie feels generic. It's dull. There's nothing especially funny other than a few crude jokes that make an attempt. Really, most of this movie is just an attempt; at an alien invasion, at action, at humor. It's a comedy that's not funny, and that's the inescapable problem.
Skip it.
Review
A meteor lands out in the desert. Whatever is in the meteor, the organism seems to replicate quickly. It's evolving rapidly, millions of years of evolution occurring in hours. Two scientists, Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and Harry Block (Orlando Jones) discover the meteor and are instantly excited about the implications of the fame and Nobel prize they're sure will come their way. Of course the army takes over the site and meteor. The story beats are all so generic. The army even raids Kane's office and lab to acquire any samples.
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| David Duchovny, Orlando Jones play Ira Kane, Harry Block |
Can you sue the army, and on top of that get a hearing the same day? I'm not sure how it works or that the army's scientist can depose and question Kane, but this is a comedy that's not dedicated to realism. In retaliation Kane and Block quite easily break in to the guarded site and access what is now a thriving alien habitat. The military tries to contain a rapidly deteriorating situation as the organisms spread. Kane and Block try to regain access while these creatures evolve and replicate exponentially. They just can't be contained.
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| Seann William Scott, David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, Dan Aykroyd, Ted Levine play Wayne, Ira Kane, Harry Block, Allison Reed, Governor Lewis, General Woodman |
The creatures are creative, but I have to wonder why in movies like this characters see some strange never before seen creature and think it's a dog. I've never seen dogs look anything like an alien. It's a generic joke that makes no sense. While this is silly, it's never funny. It's shallow both in plot and humor. Kane figures out a potential solution to destroy the aliens. It's not the Napalm the military want to use but shampoo. Heat accelerates growth in these creatures, but Kane and Block can't get to the military to inform them. The group must defeat a now giant alien with shampoo. Luckily they find an orifice on the bottom of the creature and of course there are numerous jokes about that fact.
Ultimately several anal jokes do seem like a succinct summary and conclusion for this movie that belies a lack of cleverness and creativity.
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