There’s no shame in a filmmaker returning to the well of what worked before and giving it a fresh coat of paint in the hopes that lightning strikes twice, but it would be an understatement to say that Ivan Reitman’s Evolution is far too heavily indebted to Ghostbusters for virtually every shred of its inspiration, leaving it feeling like nothing more than an inferior retread.
The director took the reins on a blockbuster-sized hybrid of science fiction, fantasy, and comedy that saw a team of bumbling scientists – who were joined by one everyman outsider – plunged into a battle for the safety of the human race after an apocalyptic scenario arises that confirms creatures and beasts always thought to be myth and legend are preparing to mount a hostile takeover, all while the local authorities and government get involved to make matters worse.
That’s enough about Ghostbusters, though, because we’re talking about Evolution, which revolves around… well, exactly the same logline mentioned above, except it was nowhere near as good or popular. Earning less than $100 million from theaters on an $80 million budget while being shrugged at by critics and crowds, it was a mistake on Reitman’s part to think the magic would repeat itself.
Evolution isn’t all bad, to be fair, and there’s decent enough fun to be had on a lazy afternoon or uneventful evening when you’ve got the feeling for some throwaway fantasy frolics. It would appear that Netflix subscribers have fallen into that very boat, too, after FlixPatrol outed the blatant ripoff and thunderous bomb as one of the platform’s most-watched movies around the world.
Published: Mar 2, 2023 03:46 am