Universal brings Evan Almighty to HD DVD with an above-average transfer, innovative web tie-ins and a (wait for it) boatload of special features. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Evan is a bright and colorful film with most of the action occurring outdoors. This gives colors plenty of pop and skin tones a natural look. Thanks to high definition, wood grains on the ark and various animal furs appear richly detailed. The Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack is generally excellent and the third act provides a surprisingly dynamic soundstage with clear dialogue and plenty of bass.
In addition to the usual plethora of behind-the-scenes material, Universal gives Evan Almighty a number of HD DVD-exclusive U-Control features such as Picture-in-Picture, an amusing mode called “Ark Building for Dummies” and a trivia track called “Get on Board.” Finally, Evan Almighty is noteworthy for marking the debut of Universal’s online movie merchandise application, dubbed “U-Shop.” Have you always wished you could buy a solar radio or compost bucket – all from your HD DVD player and all without getting off the couch? Now you can! I’m not sure how much I’ll use it, but kudos to Universal for their slick implementation of HD DVD’s robust interactivity capabilities.
After reading a few mediocre reviews on the film, I was pleasantly surprised that Evan exceeded my (admittedly lowered) expectations as it managed to land a few hearty laughs. It should be noted that “The Office” may deserve some of the credit as I now find it nearly impossible to look at Steve Carell without chuckling, regardless of what he’s doing. Although it’s completely predictable from minute one and the third act goes overboard with its use of CGI, Evan Almighty manages to deliver family-friendly entertainment while providing an ample serving of laughs along the way.
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