Hey folks, Harry here with a Roach Coach that has been grafted into the spy game from Motor City... And no sooner did he arrive in the world of screenings, then he gets recruited for an EVOLUTION screening... A film that has had shaky word on it. Too spoofish for some, others wanted it serious and others have had a blast... Sounds like it hits some quite different than others... Bur for now, here's what the ROACH COACH has to say....

Hey Harry,

I'm a newly transplanted Detroiter who recently saw a test screening for the new Ivan Reitman movie "Evolution." Don't know if you've seen the movie or already have any news, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Considering the last few Reitman directed movies have been less than stellar my expectations weren't very high. The movie, however, was absolutely amazing!

I knew it was going to funny, but not in the bawdy and spoofish style that it was. "Evolution" also had amazing fx, although they weren't all complete. It was also scarry, action packed, and had great chemistry between the cast, especially Duchovny (who has fun going against his X-Files type) and Orlando Jones (also going against type playing someone intelligent). Seann William Scott nearly steals the show as a dense fire fighter wanna be, particularly while serenading an alien in a suburban shopping mall. There is also a great supporting role by Ghostbusters alum Dan Ackryod (sp) as the Governor of Arizona. The climax of the movie includes a great take off of the ID4 attack on the alien mother ship, which I will divulge only if asked nicely (I don't want to ruin for everyone).

This isn't to say that the movie didn't have some problems, but hey it's only a test screening. There was some horrible music in the beginning that didn't fit at all and which luckily was dropped throughout the rest.

Hopefully that will be gone. There is also a weird moment during an early courtroom scene where Julianne Moore is for no reason strangely clutching her sweater together. The best I can figure is that there was some sexual comment made about her chest that was on the cutting room floor. It was sloppy, but not horrible.

And speaking of Julianne Moore, most people in the focus group after the movie didn't like the clutsy nature of her character. She wasn't inherently funny, so the slapstick falls seems tacked on and you could always see them coming a mile away. Personally I didn't mind that aspect as much. I think it's because Moore has a reputation as a serious actress that the pratfalls seemed strange. The single worst part about the movie was the coda. It's this strange dream sequence that plays off an earlier joke in the movie and sets up the obligatory sequel. Not many people seemed to like it because it didn't really resolve any of the character's personal stories. The movie had a few other cliches that the audience didn't seem to mind but drove me up the wall. First you have the obligatory singing in the car sequence. The lipsynching of "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)" was made bareable only by the performances of the cast. Otherwise it was totally unnessecary and gratuitous. Silence of the Lambs baddie Ted Levine plays the military baddie, who tries to make his stereotypical role interesting but to no avail.

If there is a God these relatively minor flaws will be dealt with, because "Evolution" (with proper marketing) could be a mini-classic in the making. If at the very least, Reitman fans at last have a movie they can get behind and remind them of the glory days of the Ghostbusters Era.

Sincerely,

The Roach Coach