Evolution (film)
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| Evolution | |
|---|---|
 Evolution film poster |
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| Directed by | Ivan Reitman |
| Produced by | Joe Medjuck Ivan Reitman Daniel Goldberg |
| Written by | David Diamond Don Jakoby David Weissman |
| Starring | David Duchovny Orlando Jones Julianne Moore Seann William Scott |
| Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
| Editing by | Wendy Greene Bricmont Sheldon Kahn |
| Distributed by | - USA - DreamWorks - non-USA - Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 8, 2001 |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ~ US$80,000,000 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Evolution is a 2001 comedy sci-fi movie directed by Ivan Reitman. It is based on a story by Don Jackoby who converted it into a screenplay along with David Diamond and David Weissman. A short lived animated series, Alienators: Evolution Continues, that was loosely based on the film also aired.
The film was seen as reminiscent of Reitman's Ghostbusters movies for its portrayal of four rag-tag heroes battling unnatural forces.
Tagline: Coming to wipe that silly smile off your planet
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Ira Kane and Harry Block discover an extraterrestrial organism in an asteroid that has crashed to Earth. Though initially a simple goo it rapidly evolves into a variety of creatures including primate and dragon like species that threaten to take over the sleepy town of Glen Canyon.
Soon the government (and army), led by Allison Reed and Russell Woodman who are quite familiar with Ira Kane, attends the scene and attempt to control the situation. Unfortunately, the aliens mutate rapidly when set on fire and their method of destroying the alien life form via napalm actually boosts its growth and causes a giant star fish shaped blob to form. It comes down to Kane, Block and a few friends left to save everyone.
It is discovered that selenium, an ingredient in some Head & Shoulders shampoos, is as poisonous to the alien life-forms as arsenic is to humans. This idea is brought about by performing the same translation of movements (knight's move in chess: down two and right one) in the periodic table from nitrogen (a primary element in the alien life-form) to selenium as from carbon (a primary element in humans) to arsenic.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Duchovny | Colonel (Ret.) Ira Kane, PhD. |
| Julianne Moore | Allison Reed, PhD. |
| Orlando Jones | Professor Harry Block |
| Seann William Scott | Wayne Grey |
| Ted Levine | Brigadier General Russell Woodman |
| Ethan Suplee | Deke |
| Michael Bower | Danny |
| Dan Aykroyd | Governor Lewis |
Kyle Gass, Sarah Silverman, Richard Moll, Tom Davis, Miriam Flynn, and John Cho have cameo appearances.
[edit] Trivia
- The film was originally written as a serious horror science fiction film, until Ivan Reitman stepped in and re-wrote much of the script.
- During the lengthy shooting in Page, Arizona, Dan Aykroyd entertained the local folk by carding guests at a bar, unofficially greeting people at Wal-Mart, and visiting locals for a cup of coffee in their homes.
- Shot in December, DreamWorks asked the locals to delay putting up their Christmas decorations. Following the shoot, DreamWorks paid the city employees overtime to light up the town in time for Christmas.
- The clumsiness in Julianne Moore's character was her idea.
- The three main characters perform a commercial for "Head & Shoulders" at the end of the movie. The idea to this came from the son of Ivan Reitman.
- David Duchovny's character Ira makes an incredible (and ultimately, correct) leap of logic when he deduces that the element selenium might be as poisonous to the alien life forms as arsenic is to humans. Fox Mulder, Duchovny's character on "The X Files" (1993), is notorious for arriving at similarly implausible (and usually, correct) leaps of logic (usually just in time to advance the plot prior to the commercial break).
- The placement of the element selenium in Head & Shoulders shampoo is technically correct. Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatment Shampoo actually does consist of approximately 1% selenium sulfide. However, Head and Shoulders Shampoo shown in the white containers mixed with the blue ones contains 1 % Zinc Pyrithione and not the Selenium Sulfide in the blue containers.
- David Duchovny turned down a role in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) to appear in this movie.
- The three-eyed smiley face used as the logo of the film in marketing was borrowed from the comic book "Transmetropolitan". Producers had to get permission from DC Comics to use it.
[edit] External links
