Proof that money doesn’t buy everything, Evan Almighty stands alone as the world’s most expensive comedy. Cash bought plenty of special effects from ILM, and almost an entire ark built from scratch. What it apparently couldn’t buy is a better script; the one here is generic and clichéd, which even in a film with God himself as a character, doesn’t make it any more logical.
As this is not a direct sequel, the story has a chance to repeat itself from 2003’s Bruce Almighty. Steve Carell takes on the overzealous jerk role, selected by God to build an ark. All the expected scenes of Carell struggling to believe God is, well, God, are intact. Morgan Freeman stands alone as the only returning character, taking on the role of the big guy.
Family, friends, and co-workers believe Evan (Carell) is slowly descending into insanity even after tons (literally) of wood is dropped off at his house, apparently without him so much as writing a check or swiping a credit card. As the story goes, the thousands of animals that magically appear completely out of their natural habitat and obey Evan still aren’t enough to convince people that just maybe there’s some extra water due pretty soon.
Logical ridiculousness aside, the plot is thin and performances sub-par. John Goodman plays the over-the-top corrupt politician with no effort at all. The land development cost cutting plan he proposes is the stuff of B-movie legend. Wanda Sykes exists purely to spout off one-liners at expected intervals, and Jonah Hill is completely wasted for a few lines you could count on one hand.
A few smirks, a couple of poop jokes, and some light enjoyable slapstick comedy is the best you’ll get from Evan Almighty. None of the charm or wit of the original is here, and the “build the ark” concept seems like a complete waste of time. Why doesn’t God let Evan know that there’s a flood coming and to get everyone out of there instead of forcing him into manual labor? Even for a light family comedy, it’s simply too absurd to swallow. 
Transferring the film to HD DVD has resulted in a monumental video presentation. Clarity and detail are at their peak, the VC-1 encoding leaves no compression artifacts, and grain is barely discernible. The sharpness brings detail forward whether it’s deep in the background or right in front of the viewer. Black levels are deep and perfect. 
Animals are constantly flying through the sound field when on screen, and the separation is easily noticeable. Most of the film sits in the front speakers otherwise, occasionally drifting lightly into the surrounds. It’s the finale as the flood finally comes full circle that becomes a demo-worthy sequence for any home theater. Water and debris splash in all channels, bass captures the rushing of the liquid, and the ark creaks as it’s thrashed about. It’s a classic example of home audio.
Extras are comprised of numerous small featurettes, most of which should have been combined into one documentary. Outtakes sit on the top of the menu, and run for close to three minutes. Deleted scenes last for about 15 minutes without any commentary as to the reason for their deletion.
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