“Evan Almighty” is the first huge disappointment of the movie summer, a fantastic flop that’s never close to funny and one that’s going to instantly take some of the luster off rising star Steve Carell.

A supporting character in “Bruce Almighty,” the picture that is the template for this bland follow-up, Carell’s Evan Baxter steps into the lead here. Preposterously, his TV anchor has been elected to Congress. Self-absorbed and pompous, Evan is immediately sucked into the corrupt double-dealings of veteran Congressman Long (John Goodman).

But then God (Morgan Freeman) intervenes, dropping building supplies on Evan’s lawn and telling him to build an ark. Before long, the new congressman is being followed by flocks of birds and animals start turning up at his house, two by two.

Unable to resist God’s orders, Evan starts building the ark the old-fashioned way, growing a beard and turning into Noah.

If any of this sounds remotely humorous, you might like “Evan Almighty.” But the central joke here is obvious and all the little flourishes thrown in by writer Steve Oedekerk fall flat — an “Ark Building for Dummies” book just isn’t funny.

Director Tom Shadyac has had some hits with Jim Carrey, including the hilarious “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” But he’s also turned in some dull, bland efforts, like the feel-good Robin Williams vehicle “Patch Adams” and Eddie Murphy’s painfully dull “The Nutty Professor.”

Without Carrey to liven things up, “Evan Almighty” falls right in line with those two pictures. In fact, it may be worse.

Filled with the same kind of soft, goopy preaching that spoiled “Bruce Almighty,” “Evan Almighty” has zero edge and does nothing to take advantage of Carell’s talent that was fully on display in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” two comedies that had some bite.

Here, he’s stuck in the doldrums, unable to find a foil or, surprisingly, present Evan’s uncomfortable move to ark builder with his usual physical hilarity. Here’s hoping this isn’t the start of a long, downhill slide for the star of “The Office.”

It’s not really that much of a surprise that “Evan Almighty” is the summer’s first true stinkball. It appeared to be a reach to begin with — a sequel to a picture that wasn’t all that good that didn’t bring back the star of the show.

At least Freeman is still cool as God. But even he can’t save “Evan Almighty.”

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.