Movie · 2001 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Action · 1h 42m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.3/10 (225.3K ratings)
Coming to wipe that silly smile off your planet.
Overview
A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination... which could be bad news for the Earth.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.3/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.86/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Metacritic: 40
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Ivan Reitman
Production
DreamWorks Pictures, Columbia Pictures, The Montecito Picture Company
Cast
David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Ted Levine, Ty Burrell, Ethan Suplee, Michael Bower, Dan Aykroyd, Gregory Itzin, Pat Kilbane, Sarah Silverman, Michelle Wolff, Katharine Towne, Stephanie Hodge, John Cho, Steven Gilborn, Wayne Duvall, Kyle Gass, Jerry Trainor
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy early-2000s sci-fi comedy with a strong cast, inventive creature effects, and a few genuinely funny set pieces, but the humor is uneven and the tone can feel dated. It’s best approached as a goofy monster movie with some charm rather than a sharp comedy.
Best for
fans of creature-feature comedy
viewers who like light, effects-driven studio sci-fi
people nostalgic for early-2000s ensemble comedies
audiences who enjoy Ivan Reitman’s crowd-pleasing style
Skip if
you want consistently sharp jokes
you’re sensitive to dated sexual humor
you prefer tighter, more polished sci-fi writing
you dislike broad studio comedies with a messy tone
Overview
Evolution plays like a cousin to the big crowd-pleasing sci-fi comedies of the late ’80s and ’90s, but with a more uneven sense of humor. The setup is simple and effective: a meteor brings alien life to Earth, and a mismatched team has to stop the outbreak before it gets out of hand. The movie works best when it leans into creature chaos, lab-gone-wrong energy, and the chemistry between its leads.
Worth noting
What keeps it from becoming a full-on classic is the script’s inconsistency. Some jokes land hard, others feel broad or dated, and the film occasionally seems unsure whether it wants to be a monster movie, a workplace comedy, or a parody of both. Still, the effects are lively, the pace is brisk, and there’s enough visual invention to carry it through its weaker stretches.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a glossy, disposable, but occasionally inspired studio sci-fi comedy, it’s worth a look. If you want something sharper or more timeless, this one may feel more like a nostalgic artifact than a must-see.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Branson Reese · 612 likes
This is Ghostbusters with the “comedy” dial turned down to two and the “sexual harassment” dial turned up to eleven
Arkham Knight Rider (5★) · 372 likes
I love the part where they defeat the big alien by shoving Head and Shoulders up its ass.
Joe Lynch (3.5★) · 344 likes
“There’s always time for Lubrication!”
Sure it’s a GHOSTBUSTERS ripoff from the same director but I enjoy this movie immensely. Duchovny & Jones have so much chemistry i wish they’d either get a spin off show or fuck, the VFX still hold up amazing and it’s got one of the best asshole jokes in recent memory. It’s no GHOSTBUSTERS (what is!) but it’s a lot of gooey fun.
Helen (4★) · 276 likes
Last night as I was grading papers, I came across two gems both entitled "Cells are Bad" and both with just one paragraph; which I unfortunately committed to memory:
“Cells are bad. My uncle lives in a cell. It's ten foot by twelve and he has to read the same boring, old magazine everyday. The end."
Although my standards are nowhere near where they used to be, I could not bring myself to put A’s atop those beauties.