If you are reading reviews for this film, chances are that you have already seen the first film in this series, "Is Genesis History?". If you haven't, most reviewers would probably recommend that you go and watch "Is Genesis History" first, then return to this film. However, I would offer an alternative (and perhaps life-changing) piece of advice: Don't waste your time watching "Is Genesis History." Shocking, I know, but hear me out.
Whether you are a Christian looking for further confirmation of the veracity of Scripture, a skeptic seeking solid scientific evidence of the Biblical account of Creation as recorded in Genesis, or someone who wants to figure out how people can be so stupid as to fall for this crazy Creationism nonsense, the original "Is Genesis History" film will be of little use to you. The editing is uneven, the conversations are often boring, the ___location changes are arbitrary, and the overall story is incohesive at best and incoherent at worst. While this sequel ("Mountains After the Flood") improves greatly in all of those areas, it still falls short of what I believe the producers had in mind.
In order for you to understand what went wrong, you need to understand how the production of this film and its predecessor proceeded: Dr. Del Tackett, the narrator of both films, interviewed a large number of scientists and specialists in various locations. These interviews were then condensed down and edited together with transitional landscape shots, some music, and a few animations.
As you can probably guess, a film almost entirely composed of interviews and dialogue between two people requires very tight editing in order to keep viewers engaged and help them remember key points. Much like a PowerPoint presentation, documentary-style films need to regularly review what has been covered in order to remind viewers of the most important information. This is often helped with title cards, on-screen subtitles, and regular recaps. However, "Mountains After the Flood"--as with the original film--was not properly editing for comprehensibility. The content is excellent, but the sections that were selected, and the order in which they are presented, do not flow together smoothly.
I must disclose that I watched this film before its general release, and after providing my honest feedback to the production team, I was disappointed to see that no major improvements were made to the overall flow of the film. My disappointment has nothing to do with my ego and everything to do with my concern that this latest installment in the "Is Genesis History?" series will not be clear, concise, and engaging enough to reach a wide audience.
However, all is not lost. In an ironic twist, the production team behind these two films have unintentionally solved the pacing and editing problems by releasing the original interviews in unedited form. At first glance, it would seem that watching the original interviews in their entirety would be overkill, since the films are simply a "greatest hits" editor's cut of the same interviews. But the editing of the films does a great disservice to the original interviews, sacrificing depth and clarity for breadth and speed. Picking the interviews that sound the most interesting, watching them one at a time, and taking time to think about each one before beginning another solves all of the problems that I have with these films.
Instead of forcing a narrative onto the scientists, this new format allows the original interviews to speak for themselves, thus making them far more convincing. The scientists themselves are also fascinating, and letting them speak uninterrupted actually improves the logical and emotional impact of their interviews.
The interviews from the first film were remarkably numerous and varied, so they have been released in three volumes, based on subject matter:
-Volume 1: Rocks & Fossils (geology, paleontology, atmospheric science)
-Volume 2: Life & Design (biology, genetics)
-Volume 3: Bible & Stars (archaeology, astronomy, history, culture, theology)
All together, these three volumes are appropriately called "Beyond Is Genesis History", because they provide an opportunity for viewers to delve deeper into the real substance of these interviews.
The upcoming fourth volume (Mountains & Microscopes) will continue the series of "Beyond Is Genesis History" by releasing uninterrupted interviews with the scientists and specialists featured in the second feature film.
If you take my advice and watch some of the excellent content in the "Beyond Is Genesis History" series instead of getting confused by the two feature-length movies, you will be rewarded with an unparalleled understanding of just what science truly tells us about our world.
Let me be clear: if it weren't for the "Beyond Is Genesis History" series, I would not be writing this review. Because these volumes of original interviews exist, and because their episodic format is so much easier to understand and digest than the choppy full-length films, I can confidently say that the "Is Genesis History" project is definitely worth your time. Just not the films. Especially not the first one.
