Creation - Inheriting Wind  
| Creation creates an interesting paradox. This biopic of Charles Darwin and the chronicling of his writing of his most important work The Origin of the Species seems bound and determined to make this into something that it shouldn't be. Instead of being about human discovery of truth, the film wants to be Inherit the Wind and it's not.
The central conceit here, the conflict between science and religion, is the problem with the film. Maybe I say something radical here. Perhaps the ideas of evolution and divine creation are not contradictory. This is a radical statement because those separate camps, each devout to their own gods, live and die on the idea that the two are incompatible. Yes there are those who are horrified at the notion that the world was not created in literally 7 days, but there are those who are equally horrified to think that there could be a divine source to the process of evolution. And the two will each die before accepting any principle of the other.
And that is where Creation falls apart. Its insistence on the battle between "truth" and the church is a limitation the film isn't willing to let go of. How "American" for a British film. Right and wrong. Black and white. Truth and a lie. Are we really limited in this way in this day and age? In the world of Creation, there are clear good and bad guys. The film tries to get into the complexities of the Victorian world and into the relationship of the man with his religious wife, but it leaves things so black and white that it feels false, like propaganda.
And that's how the film feels, like atheist propaganda. Not that there is anything wrong with atheism, it's just that propaganda is so disappointing. It just isn't as compelling a film because of that. Instead of trying so hard to prove some point about the ignorance of religious people, it could have actually told a compelling story about truth overcoming ignorance, a story about the human potential.
The problem with this is the hypocrisy. The whole point is to criticize those whose dogma prevents them from allowing points of view that are different from their own. What a story told like this does is exactly the same thing. Don't think like us, then we must marginalize you. The story of Darwin and his work should be a very compelling story. Here it feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Bettany and his real life wife Connelly (I should mention here what a lucky damn bastard that man is!) have great chemistry and make a charming film couple. I just wish the drama had been more compelling. Both are great talents and seeing them play off each other is enjoyable. Some of their scenes together are so tender, so touching. It's a shame the film's limitations keep these performances from being fleshed out even more.
Creation had a lot of potential. Maybe another biopic of Darwin's life can evolve into a more complex and interesting film, one worth of his outstanding achievements.
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