ThiefHott Too much of everything

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

DavidJGDoyle I... Really don't know how I should feel about this movie. If you wanted a film about Darwin's work in this film; it fails miserably and falls hard. VERY LITTLE about Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection (ten minutes all up from memory... if that).That said, when it comes to his relationships to his friends, peers and especially family (one of his daughters and wife specifically); the film is not just successful, it is just TRIUMPHANT! I actually forgot that the movie was supposed to show Darwin questioning nature, the bible, etc. It is just a brilliant drama about a husband and father...But for a film that's meant to be about Darwin's societal changing theories which lead to more scientific methods and acceptance to other beliefs about how life works, the movie focuses WAY too much on personal relationships.That said again, I was so invested with Darwin's family story that when a few scenes happened (I won't spoil anything here), I cried-no, BAWLED my eyes out! It was just so heart wrenching!This brings me to another surprisingly strong point in this movie: The acting! The performances from the entire cast is nothing short of magnificent. If this was an original film with all ties to Darwin dropped: I guarantee you that Paul Bettany would have won best lead actor at all of the major award ceremonies, he was just that compelling. I believe the same thing would have happened with Jennifer Connelly too. She was very solid as well, I could really feel her hardships. Of course Benedict Cumberbatch was good (it's Cumberbatch for God sake, what did you expect?). Teresa Churcher, Jim Carter, Bill Paterson-Large part, small part, everyone was in top form. But the one who really stood out was Martha West... WOW did she steal the show! She was so free spirited, charmingly eccentric and when the role called for it, physically feeble to the point where you wanted to call the Make-A-Wish foundation. Why she is not in more films is both a mystery and an insult to me. What a terrific talent!So to sum it up: It has little to do with Darwin's science and a lot about Darwin's personal relationships... and the latter is surprisingly terrific!If you want a film to do with Darwin's theories; there are other films that did it so much better. For those who want the slice of life tale about a man and his family; this is in my top 5... Maybe even my top 3.

grantss 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.

blanche-2 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.

Tim Kidner I wasn't expecting CGI'd ultra dramatics, nor comic charisma from Paul Bettany, as Charles Darwin, but this could have been so much more. Shown on BBC4, Creation runs to more an extended TV drama, which I'm sure is fine for many viewers. It's directed by Sommersby director Jon Amiel.Considering the enormity of his 'discovery' itself, the screenplay relies on and centres around domestic drama too much. Admittedly, some aspects of these play pivotal roles; Darwin's wife (played by Bettany's real-life wife Jennifer Connelly) was devoutly religious and as is well known, his theories split religion and theologians deeply.I didn't want a straight history lesson but would have preferred one to the often tangents into psychological ghost story, bereaving as Darwin does for his young daughter. OK, he was a troubled man, something I didn't know about but nightmares and hallucinations seemingly every five minutes is wearying and I think, get in the way of the story.The period detail is fine but there an awful lot of grey-sky laden scenes and landscapes. Bettany himself hasn't always been in roles where he's acted well, in this case, he's good, without being that memorable - which may suit the nature of this sober and rather sombre drama better.