Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 21, 2020

Per the Mac OS X dictionary app, "Genesis" is defined as "the origin or mode of formation of something." It's an appropriate name for the first book of the Bible which tells the story of the world's creation, man's fall to sin, the world's destruction by flood, God's promise to Abram, and the tale of Joseph. It is the very beginning of the book of Genesis -- God's six-day work in creating the world -- that is at the center of Is Genesis History?, a documentary, hosted by Del Tackett, that aims to prove the Bible's recount of history to be true.

Did God really create the world in a few days -- days as man knows them in the 24-hour cycle today -- or did the planet, as science says, slowly develop over billions of years? Was man made in God’s image, or did man evolve from apes? Did a great flood once destroy the world and leave geological evidence behind? Host Del Tackett explores these questions, and more, in Is Genesis History?, an effort to use the visible world, and plenty of science, to prove that the Bible's story of creation is true. The film begins with an exploration of the flood that the book of Genesis reports killed everyone and everything, save for Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal. To discover whether this actually happened, Tackett travels to the Grand Canyon to explore geological evidence that the Canyon was formed by a single major flood event in a very short period of time, not the result of millions of years of erosion. The film further explores the idea that history changed with the fall of man into sin and why one cannot take the processes of the present to define the processes of the past. It also looks at the dinosaur record from within a Biblical prism, animal kingdom biology, astral insights, and more in building its case that the Bible’s account of history is, well, gospel.

This is not an easily digestible film; it’s not been assembled with casual viewing in mind. There are some dense, complex scientific discussions throughout the film which are necessary supports to the larger theological questions that prompt them. It’s fascinating and thoughtful, but it’s also not for those with short attention spans. The film does not spoon feed its suppositions. It digs deep into both science and scripture and for those on either side of the origins debate it offers plenty of eye-opening insights certainly in support of its claims but also in exploring the larger realms of religion and the scientific method. In the film, Tackett interviews the following experts: Sedimentary Geologist Dr. Steve Austin, Microbiologist Kevin Anderson, Biology Philosopher Dr. Paul Nelson, Paleontologist Dr. Kurt Wise, Marine Biologist Dr. Robert Carter, Archaeologist Dr. Douglas Petrovich, Historian and Theologian Dr. George Grant, Astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner, Biologist Dr. Todd Wood, Paleontologist Dr. Marcus Ross, Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling, Biblical Hebrew Expert Dr. Steven Boyd, and Taphonnomist Dr. Arthur Chadwick.

Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Is Genesis History? arrives on Blu-ray with an MPEG-2 encoded 1080p transfer that is presented at a widescreen aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1. The film was photographed digitally. It's quite clear in sum but it is not without some shortcomings and drawbacks. The picture is noisy with some frequency and some severity in spurts. Look at Del's jacket in the opening minutes. It's practically swarming while noise is curiously nowhere near so dense anywhere else in the frame. Noise remains an issue in certain places, even in well-lit exteriors. Other issues are in evidence, too. In some shots of the Grand Canyon, the picture just looks sloppy and messy in various distance shots. Close-ups fare well, particularly of characters, though some of the rocky shots appear fairly smooth and flat. "Inconsistent," one might call it. Some of the interior shots fare much better, such as at a natural history museum in chapter seven. Such scenes -- as well as those taking place in a museum celebrating the history of the computer -- represent the most stable, good looking in the film for overall clarity, stability, and color. Colors are essentially fine, particularly various items of clothing -- red and blue sweaters, ball caps, and the like -- which are often seen against earthen beiges and browns and natural greens as much of the film takes place in front of expansive natural formations and various outdoor locales. Skin tones appear accurate and some of the nighttime scenes, such as during the segment on astronomy, hold up well enough. That's this image in the aggregate. It "holds up well enough" but it's certainly lacking the polish of a major studio production given a carefully transferred Blu-ray.

Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track handles essential duties well enough. Dialogue is largely clear and centered. Music presents with acceptable width and definition, though it often plays underneath, giving way to top priority dialogue. There are some mild environmental supports, like blowing winds in some outside locales. Such fortunately prove more atmospheric than interference. There's a little bit of audio hiccup with wind hitting the microphone but it's not particularly bothersome and only slightly distorts dialogue. This track is well engineered in total, even as it's very straightforward in its sum.

Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Is Genesis History? contains two groups of supplements under the Bonus and About tabs on the main menu screen. The former is essentially a collection of deleted scenes (minus the Q&A) and the latter bios and a trailer. This release also ships with a stapled booklet titled "A Useful Little Guide to the Film." No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Bonus:

• Exploring the Ark (1080p, 10:00): Tackett tours the Ark recreation (found in Kentucky) with several students from Wheaton College.
• Q&A with Scientists (1080p, 14:08): Tackett and several of the film's scientists discuss the film, creation science, and the church.
• Engineering the Earth (1080p, 15:24): A discussion of how the Earth reflects the construction cues of a master designer.
• Creation and the Church (1080p, 11:53): Tackett sits down with Theologian Doug Kelly, author of Creation and Change, to discuss the views of creation and evolution in the contemporary church.
• The Ice Age & Climate Change (1080p, 16:08): As the title suggests, this piece explores one of today's hot-button issues in a new context.

About:

• Meet Del Tackett (1080p, 2:16): A text-based bio set to footage from the film and music by Clark George.
• Meet the Scientists & Scholars (1080p, 10:16): As above, text-based bios set to clips from the film and George's music. This is a very useful feature for its capsule review of who approaches which angle in the film; it even offers boxes titled "Movie Focus."
• Meet the Production Company (1080p, 2:11): A look at some of the other work the film's production company has done.
• Watch the Movie Trailer (1080p, 2:39).

Is Genesis History? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Genesis History? delves into complex -- and controversial -- viewpoints on life's origins. It offers some compelling evidence across a myriad of scientific disciplines in exploring the question of whether God truly created the world, and later destroyed it by flood, just as the Bible states. The film may not make converts of too many on the side of science but it should offer them a few new points of consideration in their larger view of the world and its origins. This Blu-ray delivers acceptable video and audio. A few extras are included. Recommended.