A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Evolution

Date Viewed: 6/9/01

Details:

David Duchovny

Julianne Moore

Orlando Jones

Seann William Scott

Dan Aykroyd (cameo as governor)

Director: Ivan Reitman

Score: 1/2

The Review: Meteor crashes into the southwest desert (in one of the more amusing scenes), but (surprise, surprise) it turns out not to be a simple meteoroid. It is contaminated with alien microbes, and they evolve at a mind-boggling rate into advanced life-forms faster than you can credit Darwin or Gould. Local professors Duchovny and Jones stumble on what is really going on, then (of course) the military gets involved. Moore arrives with the military as part of the investigation. But (of course), Duchovny has a secret past, and the romp takes off. This is one of the few sci-fi movies in which the beer-chugging louts turn out to have the idea which saves the day.

Pretty silly, but a different kind of fluff. Requires either a very high index for suspension of disbelief, or a taste for fantasy. Somewhere between formula, parody, spoof, comedy, pastiche -- with a touch of science and a lot of fiction. Broad, occasionally gross, humor. Reminiscent of Ghostbusters (no surprise), but not as good.

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