I only have eyes for you

Nigel Bell

Like them or loathe them, science fiction monsters continue to be big business in Hollywood. From the seriousness of the Alien series to the parody of Galaxy Quest, bug-eyed monsters and movie ticket sales seem to go hand in hand.

Come on spider. I won't hurt you

So expect Evolution to do generously at the box office. After all, as well as the monsters, you've got Mr. X-Files himself, David Duchovny, in a starring role.

Hereby hangs a problem. While seeking to broaden his actors brief , which is laudable, Duchovny is no natural comic. This is put well and truly to the test when placed next to Orlando Jones, who plays Duchovny's wisecracking friend.

Duchovny is stilted by comparison. That might not be surprising since the original concept of this story was that it be taken seriously. Then Reitman came on board and added the Ghostbusting touch.

What you're left with is a comedy fighting to be a thriller and not happily combining the two.

I could do with some help - Scully!

Like all good films from the "B" movie age, Evolution begins with a meteor crashing into the Arizona desert.

Duchovny and Jones find the asteroid to contain alien bodies. These aliens evolve at an alarming rate, ranging from the cute to the down right dangerous.

Suddenly the earth is in danger of being overrun and it's a race against time to save the planet.

Now I don't want to give the game away but remember in the old days when monsters could be destroyed by something really obvious like exposure to earth's bacteria (War of the Worlds) or even daft answers like Slim Whitman records (Mars Attacks!)

Evolution is resolved in a similar way.

Not a classic but if you need that outer-space fix this will give you something to nibble on.

I think your three-out-of-five score is entirely reasonable for a 'B grade' film, which aims at being no higher, and a comedy at that. Its a 'Creature Feature' and very few ever make it out of that category. So this is a movie which knows where its home is. In regards to your comments Nigel, in part, I think you are correct about David Duchovny not necessarily being a natural comic - whereas Orlando Jones is. So, what does the 'gag'man need: the 'straight'man - hands up Mr Duchovny. In this role, I think he's fine. Does he occasionally seem a tad hesitant? Yes, a little. Julianne Moore seems to be playing out of her normal field as well. She handles it well enough. My only critique about her character (as opposed to the actor) is the tripping/falling down gimmick. 'Ms.Congeniality' had already done it. Sandra Bullock was falling down in every advertisement I saw.

'Evolution' is a 'B grade' thriller-comedy. Its a 'fluff piece'. It knows it place in the world and seems happy in it's genre. Even the placing of the thriller along side the comedy, for me, works in the same way as 'gag'man and 'straight'man: contrast. Knowing full well that there are certainly movies that set you (the audience) up and spectacularly fail to deliver, I do wonder if people expect too much in a general sense. 'Evolution' didn't pretend to be anything other than that which it delivered. Ultimately, I agree entirely with your final line "... something to nibble on."

Nigel Bell
Brisbane, Australia