EVAN ALMIGHTY

"I want you to build an ark"

Newsreader Evan Baxter (Carell) is leaving television behind and heading to Washington to take his place in Congress. Taking office and being invited to contribute to his first bill with Congressman Long (Goodman), Evan's political life is on a high but it is family that is missing out, as he continually has to cancel things due to government commitments. Just as life couldn't get any more stressful, God (Freeman) the almighty himself appears to Evan and asks him to build an ark.

God returns to Earth to change the life of one man but can the Almighty have an effect on the box office again?

Back in 2003 Bruce Nolan was visited by God and given all of the powers that the Almighty possesses to a valuable life lesson. Four years later, God returns to visit Evan Baxter, the newsreader who worked with Bruce, to ask him to build an ark, becoming a modern day Noah. The problem with both of these movies is that both of them bring up the question, 'Why would God trouble himself with these two insignificant men when the world has much bigger problems?'

The second 'Almighty' movie sees Morgan Freeman return as the Hollywood version of God, the one that will not offend anyone of faith but also not answer any of the big questions that all of the people of the world need to ask. Completely inoffensive but with a feel good message, the movies are not preachy or there to force a religious point of view onto a cinematic audience. 'Evan Almighty' looks at greed, spending time with your family and the human impact on the environment but never really pushes the message as far as it could have gone but this is supposed to be comedy.

The word comedy can be used very sparsely in the description of 'Evan Almighty' however. Even with the presence of one of Hollywood best comedic actors, Steve Carell, the comedy in the movie is very slight and sometimes extremely basic. There are no big belly laughs or laugh-out-loud moments that will have you rolling in the aisles and, as with most comedy movies, most of the best gags were revealed in the trailer. Steve Carell does excel in the physical comedy moments however, and it is his presence that makes the film watchable but even he can make the movie anything movie than average. His supporting cast try with Lauren Graham as his wife Joan, John Goodman as Congressman Long and Jonah Hill as the overly enthusiastic Eugene standing out.

'Evan Almighty' tries to be a feel good movie with comedy but unfortunately it doesn't really deliver the laughs. With some very average visual effects and a script that doesn't push the talented cast as far as they could go, the film only just manages to raise a smile and it definitely isn't cinematic heaven.

PICTURE & SOUND

The HD DVD is presented in up to 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD soundtracks.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (14.37 mins/Standard Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel, these deleted or extended scenes show more of the family enjoy their new car and house, the Senator choosing a toilet and an extended version of Evan's morning preparation for work.

Outtakes (2.45 mins/Standard Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel, watch the cast make a mess of their lines and have fun on set.

The Ark-itects of Noah's Ark (6.48 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac, producer Michael Bostock, production designer Linda Descenna, writer Steve Oedekerk, construction coordinator Dennis DeWaay, special effects coordinator Damel Sudick and stars Morgan Freeman, John Michael Higgins and Wanda Sykes talk about the design of the ark and building it full size.

Becoming Noah (6.26 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac, producer Michael Bostock, special makeup effects artist David Anderson and stars Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes and John Michael Higgins, we are shown how Steve Carrel transformed in the various stages of Noah.

Steve Carrel Unscripted (3.13 mins/Standard Definition)
The star introduces some of his improvisations and the changes and reactions he made while on set.

Animals on set two by two (5.26 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac, animal supervisor Mark Forbes and stars Lauren Graham and Jimmy Bennett talk about the two hundred animals that appeared in 'Evan Almighty'

The Mighty Green Set (5.26 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac and star Morgan Freeman, the group talk about the environmental story the film is trying to tell and the how the production off set its Carbon Footprint by planting trees and donating wood to charity.

It's Easy Been Green (4.40 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac and stars Lauren Graham and Wanda Sykes, the featurette tells you how you can do your bit to reduce your own Carbon Footprint.

Acts of Random Kindness (1.47 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by star Steve Carrel and with director Tom Shadyac and stars Morgan Freeman, Wanda Sykes and Lauren Graham talk about their acts of random kindness (Ark) while making the movie.

A flood of visual effects (7.10 mins/High Definition)
Visual effects supervisor Bill George, computer effects supervisor Willi Geiger and associate visual effects supervisor Lindy De Quattro reveal how the water FX, flood and dam break sequences were produced.

Animal Wrangler (High Definition)
See how the squirrels, falcons, eagles, pigeons, buffalo, sheep, vultures, horses, otters, chimps, wolves, bears, raccoons, lions, camels, giraffes, baboons, elephants and tigers were handled on the set of 'Evan Almighty'

My Scenes
Bookmark your favourite scenes in 'Evan Almighty' and watch them again and again.

U Control
Watch the movie like never before with interactive picture in picture commentary and featurettes. Get on board with environmental tips from the animals and see how Evan's big boat was built in 'Ark Building for beginners'. All of these can be viewed when you want, while the movie is playing.

OVERALL

The HD DVD treatment for 'Evan Almighty' should really please fans of the movie. The U control feature is very good, informing you about everything you need to know about the movie. The rest of the featurettes cover every other aspect of the film's development, making this a good HD DVD package for fans.

HD DVD

Bruce Almighty

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2007