CreationMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Creation."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 51 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    Amiel's greatest achievement is that Creation is a deeply human film with moments of genuine lightness and high spirits to go with all the deep thinking. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It helps that most of Creation is about the relationships - Darwin's with his wife and with his daughter. Even if we resist it, even if we don't want to be dragged in, the story of Annie becomes quite moving, almost unbearable. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    I have a feeling the loss of their child and the state of their marriage were what most interested the backers of this film. They must have wanted to make a film about Darwin the man, not Darwin the scientist. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Creation is a superbly creative exercise for its star, Paul Bettany, who plays Charles Darwin. But it's a subdued and meandering portrait of the conflicts underlying the development of the theory of evolution. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Creation is fatally weakened by an excess of pathos; in a Darwinian universe, it would be quickly swallowed up by a leaner, fitter movie. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Isn't about science vs. faith so much as that well-worn dramatic hook, the loss of a child. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    This one means well, a kiss-of-death review if there ever was one. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    One of those tepid, genteel biopics that's far too busy ennobling its hero to bother giving him any recklessly interesting personality traits. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey

    The prospect that this role would officially shift Bettany to a bigger stage, taking him from the character roles that have become his specialty to leading man status, dies a sort of Darwinian death from bad plotting. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    What we see on screen is a lumbering, flat-footed fancy-dress melodrama. Read full review

View more reviews for Creation on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Complex drama gives teens and adults reason to think.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this thought-provoking drama doesn’t focus much on the nature of Charles Darwin’s research but instead on the lengthy and overwrought process he undergoes to write his famous book, On the Origin of Species. Characters debate God and religion intensely and are torn apart by grief surrounding a child's death -- themes that might be too weighty for young teens and tweens. There’s also some swearing (mostly words like "bulls--t") and brief scenes of non-sexual nudity.
  • Families can talk about why Charles has such a difficult time writing his famous book. What keeps him from working? What haunts him?
  • Some people take exception to Darwin’s theory of evolution. Have your kids ever encountered a discussion about the differing viewpoints? Ask your kids what they think and why they believe what they do.
  • How does the film address the subjects of faith and religion? Are they depicted as one and the same or different? Is it ever difficult to talk about faith and religion in your family?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The film celebrates people's right to disagree, even husbands and wives, as long as they’re respectful of each other’s views. It also applauds curiosity and hard work against all odds, plus the healing power of love.
  • rolemodels true4 Positive role models: Despite tuning out his family in moments of deep depression and emotional paralysis, Charles is a loving father with genuine affection for his wife and children. Emma is an attentive mother, too, and though she might disagree with her husband’s research, she's encouraging of his work.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: A man feels tortured by his worries and work, causing him to hallucinate, which creates a menacing tone. Shots of fetuses floating in jars; a bird’s neck is broken in the name of science. (Many bird carcasses, in fact, are shown in a lab.) The naked body of a teen dead from smallpox flashes across the screen. A fox attacks a rabbit.
  • sex false1 Sex: Nothing suggestive or overt, but a man is shown naked in a makeshift shower (no genitalia visible). He and his wife discuss the fact that they’re cousins who fell in love with each other.
  • language false2 Language: A smattering of “goddammit” and “bulls--t.”
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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