Users Picks DVD Relases Release Schedule Reviews Smarcine Picks Classics Home DVD REVIEW: Evan Almighty   10/06/07 Can you “Change the world”? According to God (Morgan Freeman) you can start by simply doing acts of random kindness. Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) needed to learn that lesson. He also needed and was heavily persuaded to build an ark for the coming flood. The what? In the 21st century? But in the Bible God said  He would never do that again?   Well.... Honestly, I heard so much negativity surrounding this project and its wasted hefty budget that I went in with low expectations. Heck, I even tried not to like it but I couldn’t. I laughed, sympathized, connected, almost cried, cheered, and applauded at the end. It is a pleasantly charming and inspiring modern day version of one of the oldest stories in the Old Testament, with a twist of course. When I first heard about this movie I really thought the story line was going to be dull, thus ruining it. Director/Producer Tom Shadyac (Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor) made sure that didn’t happen. There was beauty in the nature, beauty in the animals, beauty in the ark, beauty in the family, beauty in the comedy, and beauty in the faith. The story was true to its source too. From the ark and animals to the beard and robes to the ridicule and incredulity of the people, I was not disappointed. I think even the true Almighty One  would be satisfied. By the way, an 80’ W x 60’ H x 275’ L ark replica was built in the production of this movie, which is unheard of in the age of computer graphics. Granted, many may argue that this Almighty  is not better than when Bruce was tapped, but it is still good. It’s goode! Jim Carrey is a tough act to follow, so you have to give Steve some credit for stepping up to the plate and delivering. Sure, he might not be Barry Bonds just yet, but he has a pretty good batting average. Morgan Freeman as God once again, are you kidding? He is the best human being to play that all important role since George Burns in the Oh God movies. John Goodman as a congressman is quite intimidating. I’m biased when it comes to Wanda Sykes. Although her character was mostly pointless, and usually her characters are, it doesn’t matter. Her delivery of one-liners is just classic. An impressive fact about this movie is that it was a “green” production. Given its environmental theme, it would be contradictory for the production to not follow suit. In order to balance out the calculated carbon emissions during production, 2050 trees were planted. In addition, every piece of material used in the production that could be salvaged was recycled and donated. So, can you “Change the world”? Most definitely. You can either “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” —Genesis 6:14, or start with some acts of random kindness. If you need some inspiration, go see Evan Almighty. Film Review By Cine Marcos  cinemarcos@smartcine.com VIDEO: Anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) AUDIO: English, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French Dolby Digital2.0 Subtitles - English SDH, Spanish, French   BONUS FEATURES: Commentary by director Tim Story Commentary by producer Avi Arad, writer Don Payne and film editors Peter S. Elliot and William Hoy Deleted Scenes and Outtakes:12 Minutes The Building of Noah ’s Ark : Go behind the scenes and follow the building of the ark from its beginning as an artist’s rendering to its final construction. Steve Carell provides comedic insight on the process. Steve Carell Unscripted: In this hilarious improvised stand-up routine on Capitol Hill, Steve Carell shows us what the ancient tools were “really” used for and how he made friends with all the animals. Becoming Noah: Spend some time in hair, wardrobe and makeup with Steve Carell and see what it takes to transform from Evan to Noah. Training the Animals: Head animal trainer Mark Forbes and his team of animal experts teach us what it takes to get a “perfect take” from animals on set. Interactive Ark Animals Game:  Fun for the whole family, this interactive game has the player collecting the animals two by two, answering trivia questions before the floodwaters rise. Environment-Friendly Set:  Director Tom Shadyac, Morgan Freeman and Habitat for Humanity’s Ryan Jacobi talk about the efforts taken on set to make this an environmentally efficient production. Designing the Visual Effects:  The designers at ILM and Rhythm & Hues demonstrate how they created the computer-generated sequences. RATING BREAK DOWN: FILM REVIEW VIDEO AUDIO BONUS FEATURES   Submit Your Movie Review  Name: Movie:   Rating: None 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Review:   MORE MOVIE REVIEWS >>> SMARTCINE.COM Director: Tom Shadyac Writer: Steve Oedekerk (Screenplay)                Steve Koren (Character)                Mark O'Keefe (Character) Genre:  Comedy Duration:  1hr 35mins Staring:  Steve Carell                  Morgan Freeman                   Lauren Graham                   John Goodman                   John Michael Higgins                   Jimmy Bennett                   Wanda Sykes                   Jonah Hill Producer:  Tom Shadyac                       Gary Barber                       Roger Birnbaum                       Neal H. Moritz                       Michael Bostick Distributor: UNIVERSAL pICTURES Rating: PG Release Date: October 9, 2007  OFFICIAL WEBSITE View trailer Clips:    Windows Media   QUICKTIME               Windows Media   QUICKTIME               Windows Media   QUICKTIME               Windows Media   QUICKTIME BUY THE DVD FULL SCREEN WIDESCREEN HD DVD   Home | DVD | Advertising |  Press Kits submissions | Publishing All movie titles, pictures, etc... are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders Copyright ©2007 The Entertainment Report Group