Genesis' title dramatically understates its true scope and ambition. In its own spacey way, the film aspires to do much more than merely document the creation of the universe and life on Earth: It wants to be nothing less than a brief history of the universe in cinematic form, a sort of Cliffs Notes guide to the world in its entirety. That's a formidable task for any filmmaker, even writer-directors Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou, the creators of 1996's beloved Microcosmos. Unsurprisingly, the film skates briskly along the surface of its epic subject, offering a never-ending deluge of pretty images and windy New Age bromides in lieu of more penetrating insights.
