Review of Evolution (2001) by Jack C — 31 Aug 2008

It appears that despite Alienâ??s many attempts to conquer the earth, many of them are just plain built for comedy. Mars Attacks!, Galaxy Quest, the list is endless. However, unlike Ghostbusters, the aliens here are never ever funny, mainly scary than anything else, yet each uniquely designed and rather charming, despite being hideous in the extreme in some cases. It is the human reaction to these monstrosities that create the humour, or at least they should. Duchovny tones down his wise-cracking Agent Mulder, but still maintaining the same wry commentary partners up with Orlando Jones, and oddly have much comedic chemistry, wise-cracking off one another freely and effortlessly. A particular anal probe scene is oddly a highlight.

Julianne Moore attempts a send-up of her serious roles in The Lost World, and whilst establishing some humour by playing her as a klutz, after the seventh time, is wearisome and too many of the supporting cast are also stuck with the same business of trotting out their one joke every time they appear. Despite this, there are enough smart lines and visual bits to keep the chuckles coming. The climax is a direct send-up of Independence Day, down to the shots and while it contains a deus ex machina similar to that blockbuster, this one fails to annoy and leads to a vey funny scene. All in all, Evolution isnâ??t a patch on Reitmanâ??s previous comedies, but there is still much to enjoy over time.