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Hollywood may have evolved in terms of special effects, but judging by this big-budget science fiction romp it's still beholden to the genre staples of the 1950s. Back then, films like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "It Came from Outer Space" tapped into America's anti-communist hysteria and fear of the unknown. Half a century later aliens are still the bad guys. The only difference is they're now played for laughs.
When a meteor crash lands in the Arizona desert, government scientist turned biology teacher Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and his wisecracking buddy Harry Block (Orlando Jones) make a remarkable discovery - the asteroid contains alien bodies capable of evolving at an astonishing metabolic rate.
Billions of years worth of evolution takes place in a matter of days, resulting in a cornucopia of slimy, scaly, and scary creatures who'll eat anything that gets in their way. It's up to Ira and Harry - plus Pentagon boffin Allison Reid (Julianne Moore) and would-be fireman Wayne Green (Seann William Scott) - to defeat the invaders before they take over the planet.
Director Ivan Reitman, the man who brought us "Ghostbusters" and its 1989 sequel, delivers the same mix of effects-laden mayhem and laconic humour here, resulting in an enjoyable caper that might be a little too intense for kids. Duchovny and Moore seem rather uncomfortable in roles far removed from the ones they played in and "Hannibal" respectively, but Jones mines endless comic capital from the various indignities he is forced to suffer.
Watch a clip of Orlando Jones and director Ivan Reitman talking about making "Evolution", or visit .
