Evolution 2001

Critics score:
42 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Ebert & Roeper: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: The film contains enough dull stretches to make you wonder whether Mr. Reitman has lost his touch -- or, in fact, if he ever really had one. Read more

Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News: The movie itself, I'm sorry to report, is more devolution than evolution, a lazy lampoon that draws from grade-Z sci-fi and Reitman's own uproarious Ghostbusters. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: The movie itself evolves in reverse, starting life as a moderately clever grab bag of high-concept noodling and half-witty badinage before descending into the primordial ooze of explosions and elaborate lower- intestinal gags. Read more

Melanie McFarland, Seattle Times: There's something weird, and it don't look good. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: I laughed -- but mostly to keep from getting depressed about the devolution of mainstream movies. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Has more rear-end gags than a toga party at a proctology convention. Read more

Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Not as dumb as you might think. Read more

Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle: Reitman adopts a light, whimsical touch in his character scenes and doesn't allow the broader comic setups or the alien special effects to take over the movie. Read more

Paul Tatara, CNN.com: Evolution amusing, not very involving. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Reitman made this movie in 1984. It was called Ghostbusters. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Visually witty and even marvelous when it comes to depicting the spectacular creatures. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: It's loud, silly and a bloated mess, but still twice as good as Pearl Harbor, because it puts you back on the street in half the time. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: If you loved Ghostbusters, you'll hate this. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Leaves the audience wondering if Hollywood has already been taken over by aliens who are trying to numb our minds with mediocre films like this one. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Nowhere near as bad as most recent comedies; it has real laughs, but it misses real opportunities. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Feels like [the script] was cranked out to meet a deadline. Read more

Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: Flat, rickety and enervated. Read more

Time Out: Read more

Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today: A fitfully funny sci-fi comedy. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Seems to have been made without a writer. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Evolution is bad. How bad? Who cares? Do you ask how hot the fire is before running out of a burning building? No, you just run for safety. Read more