Review of Creation (2009) by Greg S — 06 Feb 2010

Charles Darwin's lengthy studies, culminating with an innovative theory that literally changed the face of the world in 1859, is dramatized in "Creation". How does a man cope with the idea of disproving God, a theory that suggests both order and the unforgiving, careless chaos of life's supposed circle? "Creation" attempts to capture this angst, but in doing so it humanizes Darwin to the level of boredom. It's unfathomable that this schlub could've been the host of such radical, advanced thinking.

The events leading up to the publication of "On the Origin of Species" , here interpreted by scribe John Collee ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"), are conceived as a rather typical domestic melodrama. In the first reels, Charles Darwin's (Paul Bettany) theories of evolution are praised by friend Thomas Huxley (Toby Jones), who suggests "you've killed God, sir" in giddy delight. His loving wife, the devout Emma (Jennifer Connelly), is not so thrilled by her husband's revolutionary argument.

A scattered narrative focuses mainly on the relationship between Darwin and his ten-year-old daughter, Annie (Martha West), whose death was brought on by tuberculosis. Flashback sequences show Darwin sharing rather macabre bedtime stories with her, including one touching scene in which Darwin recalls befriending a domesticated chimpanzee. After Annie's death, Charles continues to be haunted by her image - he calls out to her, chasing her phantom across the garden. Interesting to note is that Bettany played Russell Crowe's apparition in "A Beautiful Mind", and in both films Connelly played a similar distraught, worrisome wife.

Director Jon Amiel doesn't seem to have enough faith in the story to play it straight. Each scene is excessively dramatized - sequences of Darwin writing, for instance, depict a haunted, trembling man with sweat on his brow. Amiel also resorts to sequences of hallucination, including one in which a fetus in a jar begins to stir. Such flourishes only distract from the story, and they prevent "Creation" from fully capitalizing on exploring Darwin's world-changing thesis, a threat to society as we knew it.

The film is certainly watchable, on the other hand - the cinematography is sumptuous, and Bettany's performance is intense and inspired. While certainly not deserving of it's monumentally important subject matter, the film is nonetheless a passable, if curiously distanced melodrama.