Evolution

This afternoon the 2001 film Evolution was on the chopping block. It starred David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Sean William Scott, and Julianne Moore. Evolution was directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Don Jakoby, David Weissman, and David Diamond.

Evolution takes place in what at the time is present day Arizona. David Duchovny and Orlando Jones played community college professors Ira Kane and Harry Block, respectively. Sean William Scott played fire cadet Wayne Grey, who found the meteor. Julianne Moore was Allison Reed, the geeky and sexy government scientist they work with.

At the beginning of the movie, Wayne is practicing for his fireman’s exam in the middle of the desert, when a meteor comes crashing down to earth and bounces his car into the air. Glen Canyon Community College professors Ira Kane and Harry Block are called to the site because Harry is a member of the United States Geological Survey. While taking a chunk of the meteor, the two professors notice that rock is oozing some kinda of liquid. Ira exams the liquid and discovers their are single-celled organisms in the ooze. He also makes the discovery that they have ten base pairs, knowing all life on Earth has on four base pairs he realizes they have discovered aliens. Ira goes to tell Harry, who is coaching a volleyball game. The professors leave the game to return to Ira’s office and examine these aliens. However, when they arrive Harry notices the sample now contains multi-celled organisms. Ira is baffled explaining to Harry that millions of years of evolution has taken place in a few hours. The next day the professors take some students to the impact site in hopes of recovering the meteor and taking it to their lab. When they arrive at the meteor, the group discovers the organisms have already evolved around the base of the rock. The professors decide instead to take some worms and observe them. Meanwhile, Wayne has failed his fireman’s exam from exhaustion and is back at his country club pool manager job. On their way back to the meteor site, a helicopter flies over them and the professors realize the army has taken over.

Upon arriving at the gate the two are refused entry, it is only after the guard tells the commanding officer their names that they are allowed through. This also causes an soldier to try and pull his gun on Ira upon learning his name. When they get to the tent, Harry and Ira are greeted by General Russell Woodman and Allison Reed. The group argues about involvement in the research when Gen. Woodman tells them they will no longer be working on it, but will be kept in the loop. Next, Harry and Ira take the military to court, but during the proceeding Ira is called to the stand. Allison brings up an incident involving a vaccine for anthrax that Ira came up with. This vaccine caused terrible side effects to the soldier it was tested on. It was called Kane’s Madness. The professors return to Glen Canyon Community College empty handed and find out that all of their research has been taken and their computers wiped. Ira and Harry decided to break into research base and get new samples from the meteor so they can continue their study. They disguise themselves as soldiers and sneak on to base. Once inside they are able to gain access to the area where the meteor is, but when they go inside it is completely different. A new world has grown in the mine shaft where the meteor crashed. All types of creepy and crawling alien creatures inhabit the area. With everything serving as food for something else the professors do their best to stay off menu. However, when they are discovered and Allison tells them to leave something gets into Harry’s suit and then into him. They take him into emergency surgery where the doctors are forced to remove the alien from Harry rectally. That night at the country club there is a luau party going on, but when two members sneak off onto the course for some late night adult fun they are unfortunately met by an alien creature that actually eats one of the club members. Wayne brings the body of the creature to the professors knowing them from the first day after the meteor crashed. The men all examine the body and Wayne explains to them what happened. The group grabs a meal as they discuss their findings.

While grabbing food at a local dinner the trio overhears a cop being called to another animal attack and decide to check it out. At the house the find another alien and prove they are spreading. Wayne finds a graveyard of dead dragon looking aliens that have not adjust to earth’s atmosphere. However, while looking at the bodies, one of the creatures spits up a giant sack that an oxygen tolerant alien emerges from. The trio follows it to a local mall where the alien is reeking havoc. When they lose it in the mall, Wayne tries to lure it back in one of the better scenes. Once they take the alien down, the guys quickly return to the army base to try and convince them to shut it down. They interrupt a meeting with the Governor and are meet with resistances from the military side. After an incident in the base, Allison leaves and joins the trio of rejected heroes and they try to figure out a way to beat the aliens themselves. Gen. Woodman wants to use napalm to kill the aliens, but Ira and the group try to tell him fire has an opposite effect. Gen. Woodman prepares the napalm and ignores their warnings. Will the gang figure out a way to stop the alien infestation before it’s too late? Will they discover the secret destroy the aliens before Woodman’s napalm goes off?  Without any help from the government, can Ira, Harry, Wayne, and Allison save the world?

Evolution is a good watch that mixes comedy and action. Duchovny, Jones, and Scott play off each other well in this 101 minute film. This cast was put together well with some good cameos throughout. I think this is a definite underrated comedy with an interesting story concept. It’s a good story of two professors cruising through life with no real purpose that are forced to team up with a failed fire cadet to save the world from aliens. I remember the first time that I saw this movie at a theater in my home town with all the kids from my street. I was eleven back then, I laughed for different reasons and got different jokes then than I do now. All the same I still laugh and enjoy Evolution every time I see it. I give this movie a three and a half out of five stars. Check out this one if you like alien invasions, any of these actors, or just feel laughing to a good action comedy movie.

“I think we have established that kaka kaka and tooki tooki don’t work.” – Dr. Harry Phineas Block

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