Of these two cinematic accounts of Darwin’s life, reviewer Timothy H. Goldsmith prefers Darwin’s Darkest Hour. “It ... offers a more elegant presentation of evolution by natural selection, often accompanied by stunning photography.” Creation, in contrast, presents “at best a narrow and at worst a distorted picture of Darwin,” and a less satisfactory explanation of natural selection.

“Natural scientists … often react with disbelief and dismay when they read polls about how many Americans do not believe in human evolution and resist its teaching in public schools. They’re not sure what (if anything) can be done about it in our exceptionally religious-minded society,” writes reviewer George F. Bishop. “But it may take highly capable political scientists, such as Berkman and Plutzer, to pave the way to effective reform by telling us what goes on behind those classroom doors, and why. Required reading, I’d say, for everyone who truly wants to make a difference in the ‘Battle for America’s Classrooms.’”

“No Dinosaurs in Heaven addresses concerns about who is teaching students what in classrooms across America — a cultural conflict that has been flaring up off and on for decades,” writes reviewer Brandon Haught. While Haught appreciates the two storylines involving NCSE’s rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and Schiller’s own experiences with a science education professor who rejects evolution, he finds the film to be too narrowly aimed at the partisans of biblical flood geology, and overall unfocused.