The Voyage That Shook the World

I have just finished reading "The Origin" and since I am about to deliver a presentation on Darwin's take on the origin of language I have been looking for video material on the theory of evolution and Darwin's legacy. After watching Richard Dawkins' brilliant documentary under the title of "The genius of Charles Darwin" I have also stumbled upon this other film which was supposedly celebrating the 150th anniversary of the most important publication the world has ever seen. Eager as I was to learn yet another thing about Darwin and the theory I approached the film with burning enthusiasm only to be severely disappointed. Throughout watching I felt that something was completely out of place partially because the film proved to have no concept at all. But more importantly, the things all these people were talking about had almost nothing to do with the ideas Darwin presented back in 1859 or anything concerning his life that I have read so far. The few things that were related to the facts regarding the theory and Darwin's life were completely distorted. It took me the entire film to understand it was creationist rubbish simply because I was expecting to see something remotely truthful and supported with scientific facts. Finally, the title of the film is misleading, as are the untruthful accreditations and obviously manipulated and misused statements of the majority of the people in the film. I guess without the misleading title no one would feel like watching, so no wonder I have just only now stumbled upon it instead of being made familiar with the film couple of months ago when real scientists were celebrating Darwin.

Everyone in the scientific community should see this! It's interesting that many of those giving this one star say it isn't scientific, despite the fact that most (all?) of those interviewed hold PhDs in some scientific discipline. They seem to be prejudiced against the conclusions drawn from the science. Their low ratings have nothing whatever to do with the quality of the filmmaking, which is superb.

At least one reviewer says the scientific community is in 100% agreement that evolution is the reason for today's biodiversity, but that statement is false. There are 2.5 million scientists who believe God created the world.

I didn't get all of the film when I first saw it (maybe I failed the IQ test :) so I watched it again. Each time I watched it my admiration for this film grew. I know the people who made this film and they would have meticulously researched it. They have shown a perspective of Darwin that I don't think has ever been made before. So it's about time we saw something which gives another angle to Darwin which is also true and gives us food for thought. The concept of the film is brilliant - but I don't want to give too much away. It has been made by scientists so expect technical terms. It is so refreshing to have a film which challenges our preconceptions and beliefs instead of toeing the evolutionary party line.

A thought provoking and high quality documentary that provides a balanced yet incisive critique of Darwin's work. It does not attack the man but depicts him as a methodical, honest yet flawed naturalist who sometimes drew unwarranted conclusions from his data. The documentary reveals instances where Darwin failed to pursue certain lines of research which if he had done would have revealed a different explanation to the one he gave. It also shows how recent discoveries have provides a powerful challenge to some of Darwin's presuppositions. The documentary contains interviews with modern day intellectuals on both sides of the debate and provides a necessary counterbalance to the 'over-the-top' claims of some militant atheistic-evolutionists today. Highly recommended to all.

The perspective of this film comes from those with a point of view opposite of Darwin. While this may seem to paint him in a completely unfavorable light, it does not discredit the work he put in to form his theories.

The interviews from experts tend to paint Darwin in a more positive light acknowledging how his work has influenced science though they also acknowledge some flaws in his reasoning (as might be the case with any scientist). Ultimately, every scientist is influenced by some kind of preconceived notions. Lyell's influence on Darwin was strongly referenced.

The film as a documentary/history was adequate at best. I felt that hearing from experts was informative and intrigues me to hear more of what they may say within their own context to get a fuller picture (I do believe in being well read and researched). The acting and representation of Darwin's life was rather weak.

I do lean towards creationism and would give this a 7/10, though I understand how someone who might lean towards evolution would strongly give a lower rating.