Show Charles Darwin faces his demons in Creation i Chris Cockrell Arts Reporter I i Ii i You have killed God Or at least that's the claim made to Paul Bettany who plays Charles Darwin in director Jon Amiel's film Creation And indeed so much of the film deals with the theological question of Gods God's existence and the way it complicated Darwin's life Creation is somewhat of ofa a confusing film to watch as as it liberally jumps back and forth in time therefore it it can fee ve difficult to keep up and understand what's happening now and what happened at some point in inthe inthe inthe the past But the general storyline is easily enough deciphered Darwin Darin suffering from the death of his eldest daughter has fallen ill in hi both mind and body Hes He's not quite crazy but hes he's certainly troubled and hes he's having havinga a hard time completing ting his masterwork On the Origin of Species Meanwhile his marriage suffers as his faith disintegrates His wife played wonderfully by Jennifer Connelly is isa isa isa a woman of authentic Christian devotion and she fears for his soul His explosive explosive and and some say sacrilegious sacrilegious idea idea also puts him at odds with the Reverend Innes limes Jeremy Northam who finds the concept of evolution to tobe tobe tobe be a dangerous tool of the devil with the potential to lead his flock astray For Darwin's part he is isa isa isa a hesitant conspirator inthe in inthe inthe the plot to bring his own idea to light He does not rush headlong into the act but wrestles with his own conscience and faith throughout the process However slowly he com comes s sto to realize that whatever belief he once had in the existence of God has been een undone by the evidence that stands plainly before him Therefore he must act courageously despite whatever further social social- difficulties it may introduce into his life Anyone who has ever taken religious belief seriously and felt it slip away can understand the struggle Its It's the polar opposition of two forces the psychological pull of that which you took as fact for years or even decades versus the inescapable and conflicting conclusions about reality that arise by critically observing the world worl around you Some handle this well enough finding the realization to be liberating Others however sink into a deep and relentless depression Darwin Darin found himself somewhere in the middle Its It's hard to say that Creation is an entertaining movie Its It's really more interesting than entertaining That is to say that most moviegoers are more likely to stroke their chins thoughtfully going ah interesting rather than be riveted to the edge of their seats Some may even be bored But Paul Bettany does such a good job as Darwin that his performance alone makes the film worth seeing He certainly does well playing historical characters as we saw even as far back backas as 2001 with his turn as Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knights Knight Tale sTale Whether or not the film is worth your time is a decision that only you youcan youcan youcan can make Do you like character driven dramas about historical figures wrestling with weighty philosophical questions If so then you just might enjoy this film But if you like your movies to actually go somewhere and move with a purpose then your time is probably better spent with more exciting fare Rated PG 13 for some intense thematic material min miry |