X-Busters in Black?
Evolution is Familiar Summer Fare

The one thought that should go through every mind during Evolution is "Haven't I seen this before?" The answer, sadly, is "Yes." Director Ivan Reitman (the man who brought us Ghostbusters) is obviously taking a stroll down memory lane and audiences are his unwitting captives.

The punchline this time revolves around aliens, not ghosts, and the efforts of two community college professors who investigate a meteor that crashed near their town. Orlando Jones and David Duchovny play the scientists who stumble across the seeds of extraterrestrial life and decide to keep it a secret.

This film throws every cliché into the kettle, from the hard-nosed military general to the girl (Julianne Moore) who falls for the nerdy scientist guy. If it weren't for these clichés, however, there wouldn't be much of a plot.

Clichés aside, Reitman steals from himself, attempting to give the film the same feel as his 1984 smash hit, Ghostbusters. Some scenes almost seem identical to the Bill Murray/Dan Ackroyd classic. At one point, I expected Duchovny to start shouting "Back off, man! I'm a scientist!" Nevertheless, one can't overcome the feeling that for all its state-of-the-art special effects, this is really a low-budget version of Ghostbusters or Men in Black.

If you think the comedic antics of Jones and Duchovny might make up for the lack of a good story, you're only half right. Jones is entertaining, but Duchovny is relegated to the roll of the straight man, playing the "loose cannon" scientist who once worked for the military. Moore tries something different, adding pratfalls to her acting resume. It's nice to see an actor stretch, but her attempts at humor are more painful to watch than they were for her to perform.

The level of sophistication is better than, say, Tom Green, but it isn't exactly Hepburn and Tracey, either. Much of the humor in the film resulted from jokes about human anatomy, including the inevitable climax in which Jones gives the alien menace some just desserts.

At best, Evolution is a nice sci-fi comedy, heavy on the "fi" and light on the "sci" -- if you know what I mean. It might be worth catching at an afternoon matinee, but you don't want to pay full price for this. Personally, I think I'd rather watch Tremors again. At least it was funny without resorting to butt jokes.

MY RATING: 5 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 103 min.

X-Busters in Black? Evolution is Familiar Summer Fare

X-Busters in Black?
Evolution is Familiar Summer Fare