I haven't seen my copy of October's Evangelical Times yet but I believe a review by me similar to this one appears there
Creation is the title of a new feature film currently showing in British cinemas, a film that undoubtedly will catch the attention of many thoughtful people. The “creation” of the title is not God's creation as such but the creation of a book written 150 years ago this year that continues to have a tremendous effect around the world to this day. The book, The origin of species was written by Charles Darwin and the film, based on the book Annie's Box by Randal Keynes, traces the story of its writing.
While using flashbacks to build up the biographical picture, the film focuses chiefly on the final year or so of writing the book and sending the manuscript off. Darwin is pictured as an attractive even heroic, though flawed, individual. Various factors combine to first delay then spur him on to publication. Though encouraged to publish by friends like Hooker and Huxley, the blessing of a wife, finally reconciled to the idea is much more hard won. A letter from Alfred Wallace outlining the same theory, what seems to be a psychosomatic illness and the fear that he is unleashing something that would destroy society and even God himself are also strong factors in Darwin's decision. Interwoven with this is his relationship with a favourite daughter whose death profoundly affects him.
A film about a man writing a book is a potentially dull subject but those involved in this production are seasoned professionals, such as Jon Amiel. The combination of skilful writing full of drama, fine acting, especially from lead actors, husband and wife team Paul Bettanny and Jennifer Connelly, beautiful sets, excellent filming, good music and very high production standards make this a powerful film indeed.
One may want to quibble with certain anachronisms, doubtful dramatic devices and even straight errors in the film but a production of this sort is intended to create an impression rather than to get every detail just right. No, the film needs to be criticised chiefly for its thesis regarding the theory of evolution. It appears to be saying that, yes, there are extremists in the scientific world and among evolutionists. Thomas Huxley, for example, is presented in a very unattractive way. But then there are extremists among those who follow religion, too. Rev Innes, the vicar of Downe, is caricatured as a man who eventually will not even speak to Darwin and who at one point makes Annie kneel in rock salt, scarring her knees, as a penance for believing that dinosaurs existed!
But most of us, so the thesis goes, are somewhere in the middle. On one hand, there are people like Darwin himself and his close friend Joseph D Hooker, who are eminently reasonable. They have no desire to cause trouble. They simply want to know the truth. Sometimes they are fearful of public reaction and can suffer greatly for their commitment to truth but they often show a quiet courage that does not lead to murder in the streets but to a great deal of enlightenment.
Then on the other hand, there are people like most readers of this newspaper, no doubt, - religious people, gentle and pious people, who respect the minister and read Pilgrims Progress to our children, as Darwin's wife does in the film. Yes, we may feel quite estranged from the scientists and their strange ideas at times but if we will only consider then we will see that they are right. Like Mrs Darwin, who reads the manuscript of Origin of Species right through when it is finished then gives her husband her blessing, we too ought to see the truth of evolution and stop carping about it being evil and untrue.
Well, that is how, it seems to me, the film wants us to see it. It is important to remember, however, that life as portrayed on the screen, is often inaccurate and untrue. The fact is that though Charles Darwin, by God's common grace, no doubt had many attractive features, his theory of evolution was wrong. Not only is it wrong but it has an evil anti-God core and many of the terrible things that Darwin no doubt dreaded have come to pass, partly fuelled by acceptance of evolutionary theories.
What the late Henry Morris referred to, in a book about the history of evolutionary theories, as The long war against God is continuing and this film is simply the latest widespread piece of propaganda in that war. We need to point out to the uninitiated what is going on and resist the false caricatures that people this piece.
