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Evolution (2001)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:33 pm    Post subject: Evolution (2001) Reply with quote



Ah yes, another movie masterpiece which I instantly recognized as a classic while the "film critics" felt duty bound to ditz on it savagely — because they are, after all, film critics, not film praisers.

This movie won my foolish heart completely with a magical cast, a toe-tappin' music score, eye-popping special effects that Ray Harryhausen secretly envied, and a story that seamlessly combines elements of the sci-fi classics from the 1950s with a modern treatment of alien infestation threatening a small desert town.

Critics panned it because they said Ivan Reitman was trying to make another "Ghost Busters" but it wasn't as funny. I disagree.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Tue Dec 13, 2022 1:58 pm; edited 5 times in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I love this movie. Enjoy the trailer. Very Happy


______________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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MetroPolly
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought it was cute. Of course it was silly, but that's the point.
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alltare
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My favorite line:
"Take the leg!"
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Orlando Jones steals a scene more than once. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Here's alltare's favorite line from this movie. Very Happy
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________________________ Evolution - clip

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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alltare
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 1:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That whole scene is very funny.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

My favorite part of this movie is the whole "alien in the mall" sequence, with the flying alien creature cruising along, going over and under the pedestrian bridges. I love the the dramatic moment when David Duchovny blows it out of air. It always get's a "Yahoooo!" out of me. Very Happy




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



I know this sci-fi comedy has its share of fans but there has always been something very wrong with it, for me. I'm not too sure what it is.

It began life as a serious sci-fi thriller and maybe forcing it into the comedy genre (by Ivan Reitman) just made the whole thing unwieldy and awkward.

But more likely it's the actors — especially Seann William Scott, who appears in the first scene as a wannabe firefighter, practicing in the desert. He makes the film mostly unwatchable right off the bat, the least funny, least talented actor in all existence. Duchovny, the lead, underplays it like he always does and is boring. Orlando Jones is embarrassing. Julianne Moore is forgettable.

The plot concerns a meteor which lands in the desert; it contains lifeforms from outer space. The problem for us — humanity — is that these involve an accelerated type of evolution. It starts out small in scope — a lot of this takes place at the university where the main characters work — but in the final act, there is this gigantic blob that covers half the desert.

As suggested earlier, this all may have worked better as a scary thriller. As it is, the jokes involving the monster's poop hole are simply juvenile, geared towards the 10-year-old crowd, and an embarrassment.

BoG's Score: 5 out of 10



BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Here's another example of the difference between the late Andrew Bogdan (Bogmeister) and me when it comes to the movies that appeal to each of us. Andrew often finds good things to say about movies which I find too dark. But he's definitely made me aware of their merits, in spite of my negative reactions the first time I saw them.

However, I certainly disagree with his negative opinion this movie. Frankly, I'm puzzled as to why anybody wouldn't like such a delightful, imaginative, and intelligent science fiction comedy!

I loved Evolution the first time I saw it in 2001, and I've watched my DVD several times over the years. Unlike Andrews, I think both Seann William Scott and Orlando Jones are hysterical, and David Duchovny is the perfect straight man for the comedic duo. Very Happy



The movie is a skilled homage to 50s sci-fi classics like It Came From Outer Space (in which a "meteor" crashes in the desert and brings aliens to Earth) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (a spacecraft returns from Venus, bringing back an egg which grows into a monster similar).

The CGI creatures are clearly inspired by the great Ray Harryhausen —



— and the giant monster in the climax moves its tentacles exactly like the octopus in It Came from Beneath the Sea.


________________ Evolution Creature Scenes


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I think director Ivan Reitman did a fine job of creating a wacky "team" to fight the alien life forms, the same way he created the Ghostbusters to battle supernatural threats! The climax even included the two chubby brothers who surprised us all by figuring out that the element selenium would neutralize the aliens . . . and a few hundred gallons of Head & Shoulders would do the trick!

Science Rules!__Cool
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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The Spike
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:47 pm    Post subject: Evolution Reply with quote

Lubricant and the giant product placement.

A meteorite falls to Earth and lands right in the desert at Glen Canyon, Arizona. Two college professors, Dr. Ira Kane and Prof. Harry Phineas Block, take it upon themselves to investigate and mooch around. At the site, they discover worm like insects that are not of this world. Thinking they are on to Nobel Prize type history, they are dismayed when the government takes over the site and shunts them out the way. But as the insects start to evolve in the Earth atmosphere, they take on various shapes and forms of alien creatures. Pretty soon the whole place is over run and the government is at a loss in how to stop them. Enter Ira, Harry, Wayne and Allison to hopefully save the day.

Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters 1 & 2), Evolution is a zany sci-fi comedy that achieves firmly what it sets out to do. Using the available special effects for great rewards, and lashing it in Technicolor, all that remained was to have a cast happy to be in on the joke itself. Up step David Duchovny (revelling in none serious X Files malarkey), Orlando Jones (getting all the best lines), Julianne Moore (accident prone) and Sean Wiillian Scott (goofball fireman wannabe). Backed up by Ted Levine, Dan Ackroyd, Ethan Suplee and Ty Burrell, pic is well served right across the cast list. Of course they aren't asked to do anything special, but it's not that kind of film. There's enough here for all the family to enjoy, kids will be awed by the array of alien creatures, whilst the adults should be chuckling away at some of the jokes.

If you are expecting real science then you have come to the wrong place, Evolution parodies the sci-fi parodies, and then some. 7/10

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Great job, Spikeman! Cool

I've learned from your posts that your standards are high and that you're very knowledgeable about films. If you determine that a film has flaws, you lay 'em out for all to see!

When I discovered your post about Evolution this morning, I was worried that you weren't as enamored by it as I am, and if you weren't, I knew you wouldn't sugarcoat your opinions! Sad

But as I read your post I was relieved to find that you enjoyed it and you appreciated the fact that it's sole purpose was to take several beloved concepts from classic movies like It Came from Outer Space and 20 Million Miles to Earth, and pit the alien menace against a team of unlikely heroes who seem to do everything wrong . . . except the part where they save the Earth! Very Happy

For me, the goose-pimple moment of pure hero worship is when the team of misfits come together, and the two rotund brothers prove they're much smarter than anybody realized.

That scene begins this fun series clips below from the climax, and it ends with the Head and Shoulders plug, proving that sci-fi movies promote education, bravery, team spirit, and hair that's shiny and flake free!
Cool

______________ Head & Shoulders in Evolution


__________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Krel
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2019 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just love the disbelieving, what-in-the-hell-was-that look Duchovny give Jones, when he lets loose with, "great googly moogly" line.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Yes indeed! Great moment! Laughing

And what about the moment in the clip I posted, when the two Big Old Boys tell the other guys that Head and Shoulders contains selenium, the chemical they need to destroy the aliens?

Duchony and the others look stunned and then Duchovny says, 'How do you know that? You guys don't known anything!"

One of he boys says, "Haven't you noticed how shiny and flake free our hair is?"

What a great movie. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

This wonderful movie's basic premise stole my heart the first time I saw it in 2001!

At that time I was visiting St. George, Utah, with my mother, who moved there a few months later after having a home built in the beautiful desert community of the Sundown Valley subdivision. Very Happy






Evolution is the perfect blend of classic 1950s sci-fi and modern science fiction. Cool

Furthermore, two years later I visited the shooting location where the movie was filmed— Page, Arizona — on a two-week road trip with my mother, after she'd moved to Utah.

At that time I didn't know it was the place where the movie had been shot. I learned this a few years later when I bought the DVD and recognized landmarks and locations! Shocked






The concept this great movie presents is fascinating; a meteorite smacks into the ground near Page and winds up in a cave just below the surface. The organic material on the meteorite starts generating alien life forms, and the cave ends being a mini-alien planet! Shocked

Hugh creatures crawl all over the community and terrify the citizens! Shocked

If this had happened in St. George, I think my brave mother would have handled the situation well! Very Happy

)



After all, her grandmother was Mrs. Watchett from The Time Machine, and Grandma did a fine job with some strange situations in her own household as well! 8

Please note the remarkable family resemblance! Shocked




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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