Creation

Director: Jon Amiel

Starring: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly.

Reviewed By: Ben Carey.

Creation is the remarkable story of the famous naturalist Charles Darwin and how his first book ‘The Origin of Species’ came to be published. It is the story of a man’s absolute dedication to not only his work, but his beliefs and convictions.

Charles Darwin has spent most of his life developing and writing down theories and is now in a position to get them published; however, he is conflicted by the possible ramifications if he does. His theories defy everything that religion has claimed to be true and many people, including his wife, believe that publishing the book would be akin to declaring a war on God himself. In addition to this internal struggle, he is plagued by illness and is frequently visited by the ghost of his ten-year-old daughter...both a blessing and a curse.

The story is told from various points in his life; from bitter old age to young jubilance, cutting back and forth between them to create a better picture of his extraordinary, but very harrowing, life.

The film opens with a beautiful montage: swarms of multi-coloured fish, flocks of highflying birds, and millions of tiny little insects, all part of one big ecosystem of life. The montage, like the rest of the film, is accompanied by a lovely musical score, which hits the right notes and establishes the overall tone of the movie. The cinematography throughout is very good and the film recreates the 19^th century very authentically.

As with any adaptation from real life to screen there are certain artistic freedoms, however, the film is heavily grounded in fact and historical accuracy. The subject matter is handled very creatively: montages and stories, which he tells to his children, are used innovatively to illustrate Darwin’s theories and also engage the audience.

Darwin is surprisingly well acted by Paul Bettany, and there is a cast of other fine actors, but the standout for me was Jennifer Connelly, who played Darwin’s loving, but sometimes estranged, wife Emma.

This film is an enjoyable watch and it deals with some very interesting ideas and concepts in a very creative and fresh way. Although some of the scenes could have been tightened a bit more and the dialogue spiced up a bit, this is a very good film; it’s engaging and I think it will appeal to a lot of people if they are willing to give it a chance.

Creation is in selected cinemas now.

ENDS