Evan Almighty Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Newly elected to Congress, the polished, preening newscaster, Evan Baxter, is the next one anointed by God to accomplish a holy mission--walking in the footsteps of Bruce Almighty. Evan leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life gets turned upside-down when God appears and mysteriously commands him to build an ark. But his befuddled family just can't decide whether Evan is having an extraordinary mid-life crisis or is truly onto something of Biblical proportions.
When it comes to a question of preference between 2003's "Bruce Almighty" and 2007's "Evan Almighty," I vote a little differently than the moviegoing public. "Bruce" featured a clever idea that posited Jim Carrey as God, using heavenly powers to alter the world as his character, Bruce Nolan, saw fit. Offering the star an open field to utilize his gifts with slapstick comedy, amplified with spiritual divinity, the feature nailed an impressive tone of mischief, sustaining a pleasant run of farcical activity for at least the first half of the effort. Eventually taking itself seriously as a vessel for moral lessons and melodramatic encounters, "Bruce" fell apart, abandoning impish behavior to become a tool of inspiration, prone to preaching instead of tickling. While far from a perfect film, "Evan" at least has the sense to settle down and enjoy its cartoonish premise, stripping away labored storytelling to carry on as a cartoon with a biblical pinch, saving the heavy stuff for late in the final act. Loathed during its initial theatrical run, I fail to see the ultimate sin of "Evan Almighty," outside of some painfully lazy screenwriting and irritating pace issues. It's breezy, good-naturedly silly, and shockingly slim on subplots, keeping focus where it should be: on Steve Carell and the ark.
A famous newscaster, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has successfully won a seat in congress, moving his family, including wife Joan (Lauren Graham) and his three sons, to Virginia, to live inside an idyllic housing development that's swept away prized forests to make room for McMansions. Ready to make a difference in politics, Evan is confronted with the blunt force of Chuck Long (John Goodman), a corrupt congressman hoping to entice his new colleague to co-sign an environmentally destructive bill. Also dropping into his life is God (Morgan Freeman), who commands Evan to truly change the world by building an enormous ark near his house, urging the project along by providing materials and a personal biblical look that can't be shaved or cut off. Facing the destruction of his career and his marriage, Evan resigns himself to the challenge, commencing ark construction while accumulating the attention of local animals, who are gathering in preparation of the project's completion. While the outside world labels him a nut, Evan continues his journey toward a flood date, coaxing his family into duty as the days count down to a disaster of an unforeseeable magnitude.
With Carrey bowing out of the sequel, director Tom Shadyac looks to create a similar cinematic experience without his main attraction. With Freeman returning as God (giving the role a dignified twirl), and the central plot of religious transformation intact, the production moves over to Carell to set the tone for the follow-up, watching his supporting role in "Bruce" bloom into a lead role for "Evan." It's a challenge the actor accepts with glee, working diligently to match Carrey's sense of maniacal energy with his own brand of comedic force, typically pushed out of the tightness of his body, replacing Bruce's spunk with Evan's paralyzing displays of alarm. It's a fun performance, if not entirely challenging, giving Carell room to broadly react to the drastic changes in Evan's life, including unwanted attention from animals and personal body hair growth, with both coming to test Evan's professional reputation and his future in Washington. With the weight of a starring role in a big-budget comedy on the shoulders, Carell is visibly motivated, trying to jazz up the droopy material with spazzy mannerisms and a broken volume knob, also attempting to start a trend with the character's celebratory dance -- a strange running joke that never catches fire. While Carell doesn't quite have the same Roman candle body language as Carrey, he finds a comfortable position of control here, actively working to improve the picture with a charming read of surprise. A lot is asked of the actor in "Evan Almighty," with Carell successfully constructing a performance that's expectedly physical and surprisingly rich with reactions.
The screenplay falters profoundly in "Evan Almighty," setting up such a bland antagonist in Congressman Long, whose designs on environmental destruction via bill creation is tedious to sit through, often resembling a glorified "Scooby-Doo" villain scenario. I'm sure there's a stronger plot out there to hang the ark business on, with the corrupt politician routine deflating to watch. At least Shadyac doesn't stroke the subplot for very long, more interested in the Baxter family dynamic, leading to a few boat-building montages set to vanilla soundtrack selections, along with plenty of broad comedy involving animal and construction accidents. Shadyac doesn't have much of an imagination for the film's sense of humor, with fecal matter gags (bird poop being a priority) a primary source of inspiration, along with a few crotch-wallops to seal the deal. While "Evan Almighty" isn't a subtle offering of moviemaking, these crude asides are unnecessary, especially when the material finds a peaceful place of gentle absurdity, getting a lot of mileage out of Evan's radical changes in appearance.
Also on the annoying side is a supporting turn by Wanda Sykes as Evan's assistant, with Shadyac often permitting the comedian to simply comment on the plot instead of adding anything to it.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a crisp viewing event with some mild filtering, clearing the frame of pronounced grain without softening the picture. Fine detail is satisfactory, maintaining a clear look at ark construction particulars and Evan's bodily changes, with facial hair and manic close-ups especially textured, while costumes retain their intended feel. The bright color palette is preserved here with some minor muting, delivering green yards and blue skies to hold the outdoorsy feel of the feature, while animal actors keep their natural hues. Skintones are natural. Shadow detail is acceptable with a few moments of crush, though the film largely takes place outdoors, with distances easy to survey. Print is pristine.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries itself energetically to supply the listening experience, sustaining a certain power to match the cartoonish visuals. Atmospherics are generally fresh and active, with scenes of animal collection immersive -- a moment highlight a frenzy of birds around Evan almost sounds like a stroll inside a Petco. Surrounds also bring scoring to life, creating a circular feel for the music, a sensation that extends to the crisp soundtrack cuts. Voices are rightfully centered and full, with yelling and verbal chaos adequately balanced with more intimate moments. Low-end is healthy, though primarily reserved for the final act of ark business, keeping rushing waters and the pinballing boat sufficiently weighty.
Deleted Scenes (14:32, SD) add an expected collection of one-liners, godly interventions, and superfluous mischief, but there's also a brief exploration of Evan's disregard for his family's environmental impact, which was diluted considerably in the final cut.
Outtakes (2:44, SD) provide a traditional selection of mix-em-ups and giggle fits, also offering a rare chance to see Morgan Freeman screw up his lines.
"The Ark-itect of Noah's Ark" (6:49, SD) reinforces the enormity of Evan's boat, which was a very real set erected inside a Virginian housing development. Talk of authenticity and awe dominate the featurette, along with some foreboding words from Sykes, who questions the financial responsibility of the construction project.
"Steve Carell Unscripted" (3:13, SD) captures the star on-set as he works out improvisations, deals with his animal co-stars, and points out Washington D.C. landmarks for the EPK cameras.
"Animals on Set Two by Two" (12:50, SD) discuses the chaos of the shoot, with a huge collection of animals trucked in to lend the film realism, which required the firm hand of numerous trainers to help contain. Easily the best featurette on the disc, this look at animal preparation and improvisation provides a true understanding of production challenges.
"The Almighty Green Set" (5:25, SD) reinforces the efforts of the environmentally minded production, which used bikes for transportation, donated wood to Habitat for Humanity, and planted trees to reduce its carbon footprint.
The finale of "Evan Almighty" goes huge to pay off the enormity of the ark situation, requiring extravagant visual effects and a suitably thunderous act of God to fit all the pieces together. It's a heavy conclusion to a light picture, electing noise over cleverness to find a way out of the story. Again, this is not a tremendous picture, but it has a small amount of charm that's handled sensibly. Steamrolling over the viewer with aggressive flood activity only creates a headache, exiting the movie on a bloated note. While I recognize I'm one of the few to appreciate "Evan Almighty" for its miniature delights, I'm fine with the distinction, happy to praise a picture that doesn't stop dead to arrange sympathies nobody asked for in the first place.
