The 2000s Sci-Fi Comedy Blockbuster With A Genre Icon, Stream Without Netflix

Evolution is a science fiction comedy that focuses on Professor Ira Kane and his geologist friend Harry Block, who decide to learn about a meteor that crashed in the desert of Arizona. It doesn’t take long to realize that the meteor brought alien life forms with it and that the military didn’t do quite as good of a job containing them as they claimed. 

Ira and Harry end up on a mission to discover more about the aliens, along with Dr. Allison Reed, a member of the CDC, and some of Ira’s students. The group races against the army and the rapidly evolving aliens as they try to find a way to eliminate the threat. They end up finding a possible weapon, one that no one could have expected. 

While the story is somewhat interesting, it’s the comedic moments and the cast that make Evolution stand out. David Duchovny (The X-Files, Aquarius) plays Ira Kane, Orlando Jones (American Gods) is Harry Block, and Julianne Moore (Far from Heaven) plays Allison Reed. Seann William Scott (American Pie) and Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs) are two other big names in the movie. 

Though Evolution was originally meant to be a horror film written by Don Jakoby, the director, Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), decided to go in a different direction. He hired David Diamond and David Weissman to make the story funnier. Eventually, the three writers found a balance they were all happy with, and that’s how the script of Evolution came to be. 

Unfortunately, fans and critics didn’t necessarily agree with the script. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave the movie 44 percent, while the audience rated it just a little better at 48 percent. One problem is that the movie, which is 23 years old now, didn’t age well. A lot of the humor is crude and doesn’t sit well with the modern audience. 

Additionally, some of the original audience felt that Evolution was too similar to Ghostbusters, and didn’t have its own charm and story. However, while there is a similar storyline of a slightly morally gray character saving the day from evil with a group of clumsy and silly companions, the stories aren’t as similar as one might expect. 

REVIEW SCORE

I grew up watching this movie and usually watch it at least once a year. Yes, it’s a little crude, but not overly so.

Honestly, I never looked up the rating of Evolution until I started writing this, and it surprised me that it scored so low. The movie isn’t only amusing, but it features some great practical effects, especially for the time. It’s one of my favorites and something I push everyone I know into watching with me at least once.

Despite its low rating Evolution is worth a watch if you’re looking for something funny and simple. Some of the jokes haven’t aged well, but if you can look past that, you’re in for one hilarious ride with this film. Evolution is available to watch on Starz with a subscription.