REEL CRITICS

“Who you gonna call, Ghostbusters?” -- remember that chant from the

early 1980s. Well there won’t be any video or T-shirts this time for the

remake, “Evolution.” The producer/director of “Ghostbusters,” Ivan

Reitman, has reprised the story and most of the characters but none of

the excitement. Maybe its because Bill Murray and the guys from “Saturday

Night Live” were so great or maybe it’s something else, but the remake

doesn’t come close to the original.

Still some performance’s make it are worth seeing. I particularly

liked Orlando Jones who plays Harry Block, a geologist at a local

community college. His facial expressions are great as is his comedic

timing. When Wayne (Seann William Scott), of the “Road Trip” fame, is

almost squashed by a meteor, the fun begins. Harry, with the help of Ira

Kane (David Duchovny), a professor of microbiology at the same local

college, determines the meteor contains living organisms. They try to

keep the discovery a secret, but the big bad federal government is soon

on the scene.

The two side’s battle over control of the discovery, and the two

professors are quickly the losers. They try various schemes to keep in

the loop but are rebuffed each time.

Allison (Julianne Moore), a scientist on the government’s side,

discovers they have gotten on the site, and gets them removed. In the

process her and Harry start the romance dance and you pretty much know

what’s coming next. She joins his side when the tiny microorganism’s

begin to grow and get out of control. In an obvious attempt to make her

character funny, she keeps banging into things and falling down. It’s

funny when Kramer (Michael Richards) and other comedians can do it, but

when she tries it falls flat.

The action picks up as the threesome plus Wayne battle the newly grown

creatures. It looks like they may be able to get control of the

situation, but the government makes a mess out of their efforts and it

could be the end. Just when it looks hopeless, a couple of Harry’s worst

students come up with an idea. Reinvigorated they start to build a

anti-virus solution to battle the now enormous alien. The final 20

minutes is funny and innovative. All and all I liked it, but not enough

to see it again, which is my barometer for whether a comedy is a classic

or not.

o7 Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and for sci-fi action.f7

* CLEM DOMINGUEZ, 57, is an aspiring screenwriter and film fanatic.

Evolution

Some movies tell a story that help us see the world in a different way

and change our lives. There are days when I don’t want my life changed. I

want to get away from the world with some brain candy. “Evolution,”

directed by Ivan Reitman of “Ghostbusters” fame, is great brain candy.

The story isn’t complicated, but it’s laugh-out-loud funny and chances

are you’ll leave the theater smiling.

The movie starts with an asteroid crashing into the Arizona desert.

Local community college science instructors Ira Kane (David Duchovny),

and Harry Block (Orlando Jones), hear about the event and decide to go

look at the crater. They take samples from the asteroid and discover

evidence of alien life forms. The alien organisms adapt and evolve in

front of their eyes, doing over a million years of evolution overnight.

Kane and Block know they have the discovery of the century. While they

speculate about how to shield their future Nobel Prize money from the

Internal Revenue Service, the Army steps in and secures the crater site.

In addition to the Army, they also have to deal with Allison Reed

(Julianne Moore) from the Center for Disease Control. When Reed sees Kane

moon her against the windshield of a jeep, romance is in the air. Was

that moon actually Duchovny’s butt or a stunt butt? Only the filmmakers

know for sure. As the alien critters continue to evolve, it becomes clear

that there’s only room for one life form ruling the planet. It’s going to

be them or us.

The basic elements of the story are predictable. It’s Duchovny and

Jones trying to save the world despite the ignorance of the Army. The

subplot is the romantic attraction between Duchovny and Moore. Even when

there’s a predictable situation, it doesn’t matter. The movie is still

funny. When a group of suburban women discover an alien who is cute

enough to be E.T., you know they’ve just got themselves into big trouble.

This is one of the situations where Reitman is able to deliver a jolt and

a laugh at the same time.

Orlando Jones is terrific as Duchovny’s side kick. He knows when to

mug for the camera and when to play it cool. The sequence where an alien

has to be extracted from Jones’ body is hysterical, and there’s a lot

more to this scene than what is shown in the commercials.

“Evolution” is good silly fun. Reitman’s aliens are nicely crafted,

but don’t overpower the rest of the movie. Orlando Jones is hilarious.

Duchovny and Moore both know when to be funny and when to play it

straight for the other characters. Seann Scott also appears as dimwitted

wannabe fireman assisting Duchovny and Jones. Scott’s gags tend to be

more low brow than high brow, but I found myself laughing at him anyway.

Dan Akroyd plays a small role as the Arizona governor and his comic

presence adds to a good movie. “Evolution” is pure, mindless, escapism

that will make you laugh.

* JIM ERWIN, 39, is a technical writer and computer trainer.

“Lara Croft, Tomb Raider,” produced by Lawrence Gordon received mixed

reviews from all of us. While we all enjoyed the mythical adventure with

masterful special affects, Derek thought, “The lack of talent in writing

overwhelmed the big shiny explosions.” Whereas Sean believed that “Tomb

Raider was better than most fighting movies because it did have a plot

that propelled the action forward.”

Although, it is true that there are plot puzzles left dangling,

Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Lara Croft, Simon West’s direction and the

special affects make it worthwhile to suspend a little disbelief and

enjoy the ride.

Jolie plays arcade action hero, Lara Croft to James Bond-like

perfection. Where less is definitely more, Jolie communicates with a

flirt of an eye and a musical “hmmm” of intent.

She is able to portray herself as a masterful tomb raider without

emasculating or making a clown of her male counterpart, Alex West (Noah

Taylor). Jolie is clever, beautiful and powerfully appealing to villain,

Mr. Powell (Iian Alen).

Like male action movie stars, Jolie’s sex appeal is universal, which

both the male and female audience will appreciate.

In a dream, Croft’s dead father (Jon Voight) helps her to find a clock

key that only during the week of the planetary alignment -- occurring

only once every 5,000 years -- will unlock the hiding places of two

triangle puzzle pieces. Those pieces when joined will give the holder

power over time. The next day Croft receives a message from her father

written before his death directing her to find and destroy those puzzle

pieces to prevent great harm to the world.

Croft attempts to do that while racing Mr. Powell, agent of the

Illuminati, who wishes to find the pieces so that he can control time and

have the power of God.

Director Simon West does an excellent job of transforming a popular

video game into a three-dimensional movie.

There are several scenes where Croft is fleeing down twisted mazes

battling dangerous beings that stay true to the video game origins

without overwhelming the movie. West incorporates beauty, humor, as well

as mysticism in his direction. In one artistic scene, Jolie is suspended

by wires, acrobatically exercising to Bach, white robe fluttering, before

Powell’s force attacks.

The fight scene that follows with Jolie flying through the air is

elegant and reminiscent of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

An amusing lift from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” has a dual-sword

wielding rock monster attacking Jolie. Like Harrison Ford, Jolie quirks

an eyebrow, then lifts her automatic pistol and pulverizes the rock

monster to pebbles. In another scene, Jolie reaches her hand across time

to touch the outstretched hand of her diseased father looking much like

Michelangelo’s “Finger of God.”

Despite plot weaknesses, the cinematography in three locales --

England, Cambodia and Iceland -- and the fast-paced action without

gratuitous bloodshed make this a movie to enjoy with the family.

o7 Rated PG-13 for action, violence and some sensuality.f7