Review of Creation (2009) by Alan C — 28 Sep 2009

To get the main Creation issue out of the way: yes, there is an orang-utan. Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly can display their considerable acting chops all they want, but I'm sorry, guys - the orang-utan wins. Every time.

So...Creation focuses on Charles Darwin's writing of the Origin of Species amidst illness, grief over his dead daughter, a crisis over religious faith and increasing strain on his relationship with his wife. It's pure melodrama, of course, and it's a little structurally flawed (I counted four scenes of Darwin waking suddenly from nightmares), but it has some surprisingly strong moments.

In particular, there's a sequence demonstrating the idea of nature as a battleground, invoking (almost certainly by accident) the intro to Miike's Happiness of the Katakuris. It's a stunning, brutal sequence in which the harshness of the game is revealed in all its grimy, disgusting glory. There's also a scene with a screaming pickled feotus - if it weren't for the orang-utan, it would have stolen the show. And yes, it is a fevered dream.

But back to the melodrama - I'll be honest, it's good melodrama. The actors all do well enough; except the little girl playing Annie, the dead daughter - maybe I'm being harsh here, given that she's only about ten, but I had just got out of a film in which a twelve-year-old out-acts Jamie Foxx, so I wasn't in a mood to cut her some slack. There is some empathy to be felt for Darwin, although I find it hard to relate to a grown man's crisis of faith because I got through all that when I was ten, but whatever.

On a final note, the film has not yet been released in the US, because of the controversy over the evolution vs. creationism debate. Which is just pathetic. I mean, if you believe in creationism then fine, you're an idiot and I don't care, but to complain about a film purely because it's about the originator of an opposing theory? Absolutely pathetic. At any rate, it's finally secured a release date for december, which is good.