The post MLK weekend has a few hodge podge of films waiting to be released. Although the January release period is no longer a no-man’s land for films, this weekend seems to feature leftovers unable to survive at other times. Dwayne Johnson [TROCK] will wear a tutu in The Tooth Fairy [TOFRY] while Harrison Ford [HFORD] and Brendan Fraser [BFRAS] race against time to find a cure for an incurable disease in Extraordinary Measures [XMEAS]. The weekend’s fantasy extravanganza comes in the form of the laborious Legion [LEGIN] starring Paul Bettany [PBETT], who has two movies opening this weekend.
The historical drama Creation [CREAT] stars Bettany along with his wife Jennifer Connelly [JCONN] as Charles and Emma Darwin. The film explores the wedge between them due to his controversial work. After Darwin returned from the Galapagos Islands he took another fifteen years to formulate his theory of Evolution and publish his ground-breaking work “On the Origins of Species”. In those interim years he became deathly ill, lost his eldest daughter Annie to illness and suffered breakdowns with his religious wife. Through it all, Darwin never lost sight of his questions about man and nature and managed in the end to produce his revolutionary work.
Films love to delve into the personal lives of those who made history. Last weekend, The Last Station came to theaters in a similar theme describing the life of Leo Tolstoy. This weekend, Bettany and especially Connelly bring to life the intimate workings of the scientist’s life.
The film’s strength lies in the portrayal of Darwin’s conflict with wife Emma, who wanted him to abandon his theories that “killed God.” Darwin hesitated a great deal with his work, hoping to find some resolution with her. In the end, he remembers how much his late daughter appreciated his work and proceeds to finish the manuscript. He leaves the decision to have it published to his wife, which she does.
Bettany and Connelly originally worked together in A Beautiful Mind and proceed to bring their intellectual chemistry to this film. While not doing genre films like Legion, Bettany is compelling in these little films which showcase his admirable acting skills.
His memories of his daughter and the lush scenes of Galapagos life make it clear why Darwin became obsessed with Evolution. Audiences will appreciate the grandeur of nature presented. While Creation may not be the most hard-hitting film of the year, it is nonetheless a wise choice for those wanting something low key.
Tag(s): TROCK, TOFRY, HFORD, BFRAS, XMEAS, LEGIN, PBETT, CREAT, JCONN