Evan Almighty DVD / Blu-ray Review

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
The Movie The Extras Reviewed by
5/10 6/10 Liam
 
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I'm not quite sure that we needed a sequel to "Bruce Almighty". But I guess somebody thought it would be a good idea, so this summer saw the release of "Evan Almighty" starring Steve Carell. The movie went on to become one of the biggest box office busts in recent memory. The movie cost a reported $175 million to produce (although some estimates put that number a little higher) and ended up earning only $100 domestically. (Or $171 million in total if you count worldwide box office.) Ouch.

The movie follows Evan Baxter (Carell) who also appeared in "Bruce". This time around, Evan is leaving the comfort of his TV station gig in Buffalo to serve as a newly elected member of Congress. He uproots his wife (Lauren Graham) and their three children and they move to some fancy new digs in the U.S. capitol. While serving in office, Evan is approached by a shady fellow congressman (John Goodman) to support a bill that is a little less than environmentally friendly. At the same time, Evan is approached by God (Morgan Freeman) and is asked to build an ark to prepare for an upcoming flood. Let's see, a piece of legislation that could make or break your career or a chance to work with God. Hmmm. Naturally, Evan is a little skeptical about the whole God thing and ends up supporting the bill. But, with a little encouragement, he soon finds he can no longer deny the Big Man upstairs. Soon, Evan Baxter is a laughing stock. He's got a beard that he can't seem to shave, he walks around in a robe and he's constantly followed by a parade of animals. When Evan begins to build the ark, the question becomes, will the flood actually happen? You'll have to pick up the movie to find out.

First off, I'm a fan of Steve Carell, so it was difficult to see this movie fail as miserably as it failed. "The Office" is one of my favorite TV shows and I thought "Little Miss Sunshine" was one of the better movies to be released last year. So, combined with the success of "Bruce Almighty" (the movie made nearly $500 million worldwide), I figured this movie was a shoe-in. I don't think I was the only one. After watching the movie on DVD, I can see why it did less-than-stellar business. I felt that "Bruce" had a little bit of an edge that this movie was missing. It also tried too hard to be a kids movie and, in the end, people weren't buying it. Or, maybe the movie just sucked.

Special features on this DVD include:

The Ark-Itects of Noah's Ark - This extra combines clips from the movie with interviews featuring director Tom Shadyac, Steve Carell and a host of other behind-the-scenes people about creating the ark in the movie.

Becoming Noah - Looks at Carell's transformation from being Evan Baxter to being Evan Almighty.

Steve Carell Unscripted - Basically a blooper reel featuring some of Carell's antics on the movie set.

Animals On Set Two By Two - Talks with the cast and crew about the animals in the movie and what it was like to work with them.

The Almighty Green Set - Looks at the environmentally friendly manner in which the film was produced.

It's Easy Being Green - Some tips on how to take care of the planet.

Acts of Random Kindness - Some tips on how to be nice to your fellow human beings.

A Flood of Visual Effects - We hear from some visual effects and computer graphics people about creating the flood and animating the animals, etc.

Casting Call: Serengeti - A comical look at casting the animals in the movie.

The Almighty Forest - A listing all of the people who contributed to the "Almighty Forest" with proceeds going to The Conservation Fund to plant trees that help reduce greenhouse gases.

Deleted Scenes - A total of 14 scenes totaling just more than 14 minutes. Most of the footage included here simply extend scenes that are already included in the movie. A few funnies here and there but nothing that could've salvaged the movie.

Outtakes - A little under 3 minutes of bloopers from the making of the movie.

Animal Roundup Game - A series of not-very-easy trivia questions that, if answered correctly, help get the animals on the ark.

I'm not gonna say that this movie was terrible. It was just a little more juvenile than I was expecting. What sunk this ark was the fact that Evan abandoned the premise set by the original movie. In doing so, it abandoned the audience that would've made the movie a success. An almighty mistake indeed.

 
Features
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Animals On Set Two By Two
Animal Roundup Game
Steve Carell Unscripted
The Ark-itects Of Noah's Ark
And Much More!

Video
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Audio
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital Stereo

Subtitles
English SDH
French
Spanish

Release Date
October 9, 2007

Rating
PG

Length
96 mins.
 
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