Creation is a strange film to review. It isn't that great which can be inferred by the fact that it was barely noticeable critically or at the box office but it's a nice portrayal of Charles Darwin by Paul Bettany, encompassing his private life with his wife during the time he was working on "On the origin of species. The film is a good look for anyone interested in the famed English naturalist, but it isn't genre defining. Worth a peak for the performances by Bettany and Connelly (who were actually married then) playing Charles and Emma Darwin.

The life of Charles Darwin, particularly his writing of Origin of the Species. All shows how this affects his relationship with his wife. Very dull. I was hoping for a great history lesson on one of the most controversial figures and books in history. Instead I just got piles of pretentious navel-gazing. Darwin's life and writing of On The Origin of Species are not covered in much depth.The whole thing just seems to go nowhere, very very slowly.Acting is OK, as you would expect from stars such as Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Jeremy Northam. All seems rather restrained and listless though.

Paul Bettany is Charles Darwin, and Jennifer Connolly (his real life wife) is wife Emma in Creation, a 2009 film directed by Jon Amiel. It purports to tell the story of Darwin writing his book, On the Origin of Species during a period of sadness and illness in his life. The film also features Toby Jones, Martha West, and in a small role, Benedict Cumberbatch.Paul Bettany is absolutely wonderful as Darwin, playing him as a gentle, loving, curious man who delves into the study of all species, and concepts like transmutation, human evolution, and sexual selection. He definitely possessed one of the greatest minds ever in existence.A watershed experience for Darwin was his expedition on the HMS Beagle, which helped him formulate many of the ideas he published later. However, the HMS Beagle in the film doesn't get much credit though it is mentioned.The film deals with some devastating events during his marriage to Emma, and an illness Darwin suffered from all his life that was never diagnosed. His wife was religious and feared that she and Darwin would be separated in the afterlife because of his beliefs. This was a concern of hers, but the science versus religious fight actually did not exist in those days. The church saw God as having a hand in evolution, and the character of Huxley (Toby Jones), in reality was not out to destroy the idea of God. It would be some years before he actually accepted the theory of evolution.Darwin was obviously a sensitive man totally devoted to his children, who feared that the fact that Emma was his cousin would harm his children's health -- they had ten children, two of whom died in infancy and one at the age of 10, which nearly destroyed both Charles and Emma. "Our blood is too close," he tells his wife. In fact, his surviving children for the most part lived long lives and had distinguished careers.I found this movie slow going, with beautiful performances and a couple of very, very sad sections. As a result, I went through quite a bit of tissue. It's definitely worth seeing, but be prepared for a film that can sometimes be uninvolving, given the nature and complexity of Darwin's work. Though the film shows Darwin going off his rocker for a time after his daughter dies, this is a fictionalization. He was a dedicated scientist, and he prevailed. The subject of evolution, now evolution vs. creationism, is heavily argued today. Definitely one of the most important men of his century and the centuries that followed.

There are a few flashbacks to the Beagle and a couple of quotes of the more flowery passages of "The Origin of Species," but for the most part, certainly as far as screen time is concerned, it's the story of Charles Darwin (Bettany) and his wife Emma (Connelly) struggling to come to terms with the illness and death of Bettany's favorite daughter, the 10-year-old Anna (West).There are repeated lengthy scenes of both Bettany and West taking various medicines and other cures, such as hydrotherapy and having your water drawn from you. There is a discussion of whether West should be bled. In fact, what we learn about medical practice circa 1850 is at least as interesting as what we learn about natural selection and evolution. There is a scene involving Bettany and his hydrotherapist in which the hydrotherapist, drawing on de Quincy's "Confessions of an Opium Eater," tells Bettany that a person can hold certain beliefs without being aware of them, and that these stifled ideas can cause warts and fainting spells. Bettany seems interested and willing to discuss the possibility but it goes no farther. Freud wasn't born yet, quite, but he and Breuer would have called this the beginning of "the talking cure." There is a running problem with theology too. Will Bettany "destroy God?" Given today's Zeitgeist, it turns out to have been a pretty silly question. Some of us are still trying to shed ourselves of evolution. But Bettany's problem is personal as well. Why did his beloved daughter Annie die? His minister friend can only assure him that God moves in mysterious ways. Man, is he right about that! There are some gruesome moments when we see part of a dead cow gobbled up by maggots, the maggots eaten by a bird, and the bird's offspring eaten by maggots. It's all in fast motion but revolting nonetheless. I suppose it's necessary to spell out the "web of life" business, but the maggots screech while they go about their business and sticky, gloppy sounds accompany them, all of which adds to the yuk factor without telling us a thing.The movie collapses in the last third. It's all about the estrangement of Bettany from Connolly. They don't sleep together. They don't even speak. Finally, in the grand climax, Bettany confronts Connolly and accuses her of blaming him for the death of Annie. Connolly begins to tear up and confesses that she blames HERSELF for the death of her daughter. (Sob.) Bettany's involvement in the scientific community of his day is given short shrift. Thomas Huxley, known as "Darwin's Bulldog", shows up for a minute or two in the form of an angry gnome, Toby Jones, who browbeats the hero. There is the 20-page letter from A. R. Wallace who was studying beetles in Southeast Asia and promptly came up with the idea of evolution and natural selection, while back in England Bettany fretted for twenty years over his manuscript, too sick and scared to finish and publish it. Wallace gave him the necessary kick in the pants.The historical reality is exciting. The movie is kind of dull. It panders to fans of soap opera. And it cheats because, for all the talk of unconscious motives and whatnot, the misunderstanding that separates Bettany and his wife is cleared up with a bit of frank talk in two minutes. There are a couple of lighter moments, near the beginning, some nice location shooting and attention to period detail.