2001, 1 hr 40 min., Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and for sci-fi action.�Dir: Ivan Reitman. Cast: David Duchovny (Dr. Ira Kane), Julianne Moore (Dr. Allison Reed), Orlando Jones (Harry Block), Seann William Scott (Wayne Green), Ted Levine (Gen. Woodman), Dan Aykroyd (governor of Arizona).

In the battle of the Survival of the Fittest, this one should open with a big bang this weekend and then die out a lot quicker than the dinosaurs.

I had high hopes for Evolution, but was extremely disappointed. There were plenty of hits, but ten times more misses. Everyone tries real hard, but only Orlando Jones (the 7-Up guy) really provides any laughs, while the rest deliver dry wit that just falls flat.

With the cast and crew, one expected a lot more for my five bucks. Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes), it tries to be �Alienbusters� but fizzles in every comparison. David Duchovny is unable to do anything but dry, and performs affably to that effect. Unfortunately a couple of times he had to do some comedic acts that don�t work. He�s just unable to accomplish what the silly script demands. Same goes for the talented Julianne Moore, whose role basically consists of pratfalls and swooning for Duchovny. Not a whole lot for her to work with. One of the few bright spots was Dan Aykroyd�s cameo as the brash governor.

Now, I will say that I may have just been amid the wrong audience. The makers of Evolution tick me off, because they promoted this as a family film and even had a trailer in front of Shrek. But folks, do not take your kids; it's rated PG-13 for a reason. There were a lot of little ones in the theater, and I felt very uncomfortable being around them (I can just imagine what the parents though, maybe how Dad did when he took me to see About Last Night!) because of the crude and sexual humor and foul language that peppers the script every few minutes.

The verdict: -- The de-evolution of comedy.

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