Creation

The opening titles claim that 'Creation' is the story of how Charles Darwin came to write 'The Origin of the Species'. Well, if that is what this film is about then it fails. There is a lot that could be written about what went into Darwin's masterpiece - his travels on the Beagal, his fight with the establishment, the amazing work of Alfred Wallace whose own independent theory of evolution was the catalyst for Darwin's publication - and they all turn up in 'Creation'. But they are mere decoration to another tale, how the Darwins dealt with the death of their child, Annie. This story is dealt with delicately, and Paul Bettany's strong performance as the great man, deftly conveys his heartbreak. But while this was certainly of huge impact on Darwin, this is not a story peculiar to Darwin, and certainly not the main origin of the 'Origin'. Effective or not (and the story is affecting), it wastes an opportunity to deal with one of Science's truly remarkable minds.