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THE DA VINCI CODE
Review by Mark Walters
If you haven't heard of the book THE DA VINCI CODE, where have been, under a rock? It's easily one of the most talked about books of all time. Theologians and hardcore Christians have debated it's theories and suggestions probably more than many people have debated The Bible. Regardless of your feelings, it's obviously struck a chord with many in a good way, as the book has become one the most popular titles ever printed after only being out for a few years. Needless to say Hollywood didn't take long to figure out a way of bringing this story to the big screen in a big way.
BIGFANBOY.com score - On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best, I give THE DA VINCI CODE a 5. Visit the official Sony Pictures THE DA VINCI CODE movie website by clicking here.
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While
in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is asked
to help investigate the murder of The Louvre's elderly curator, who was found
dead inside the museum. Before dying, the curator carved a series of
symbols on his own body, and left a puzzling message which police found next
to the body. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to
discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da
Vinci. These clues are visible for all to see, and yet ingeniously
disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French
cryptologist, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), and learns the late curator was
involved in the Priory of Sion, a secret society. In a race through Paris,
London and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker
who appears to work for Opus Dei, a Vatican-sanctioned Catholic organization
believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory's secret. Unless
Langdon and Neveu can decipher the puzzle in time, the Priory's secret and a
stunning historical truth will be lost forever.
While
THE DA VINCI CODE strives to be true to its source material, the
overall effect comes across as a bit boring. The initial fascination
brought on by the story's puzzles quickly digresses into scene after scene of
theories and exposition, never seeming to truly enthrall us like it should.
Tom Hanks is poorly miscast as Robert Langdon, and doesn't really have much to
do here aside from look perplexed. However Audrey Tautou (who was
phenomenal in AMELIE) turns in a career-making performance as Sophie,
holding her own amidst the English and American accents around her. Ian
McKellen shows up as a friend of Langdon's, and is endearing as always, but
even he can't work wonders with the plodding script. There is a variety
of other recognizable actors playing various supporting roles. Paul
Bettany portrays an mentally tortured assassin for Opus Dei, and while his
character is supposed to be scary, he unfortunately comes across looking like
a reject James Bond villain. I kept thinking he would become more
interesting in the story, but like most of the others he's just sort of there.
Alfred Molina plays a bishop manipulating members of the church and others to
accomplish his goals. It's yet another character that is sadly
underdeveloped. The normally incredible Jurgen Prochnow even makes a
brief appearance as a banker, and ends up being way too over the top with his
performance, so much so that I wish he hadn't taken the role. The only
actor (besides Tautou) who really seems to nail it is Jean Reno, as the
determined police inspector Captain Fache. Ron Howard directed the film,
and while the style is handled nicely, the substance within just falls flat.
Running well over two hours, the pacing never gets going enough to keep us
interested. I'm sure that trying to fit all of the important elements
from the book into this script was a bit of a challenge, but this is just one
of those cases where the novel works better than the film.
As for the controversial elements, they're all in here. Theories such as
Jesus being married to Mary of Magdalene and having a child are presented, and
while they're handed to us as hidden truths no one has yet discovered, the
film makes sure to point out that everyone has their own theory. You
must ultimately decide what you personally want to believe, or what you know
in your heart to be true. The Catholic church has been in question for
many years now, and it's not unusual to think there are many secrets they're
keeping, possibly for their own benefit. Being Catholic myself, I found
the theories fascinating, regardless of what may or may not be true.
What's really necessary for audiences to remember is that the book and movie
are both fiction. This is not meant to be a documentary, nor are they
trying to say anything presented is fact. Religion in films is a theme
that can often bog down an otherwise entertaining story. That's not to
say you can't have an exciting film with religious undertones. Just look
at the INDIANA JONES flicks. But THE DA VINCI CODE is a
little too bland for moviegoers these days, and in this time of big summer
films it most likely won't fare well after its initial opening weekend hype.
As a Tom Hanks vehicle, it's rather disappointing. As a Ron Howard film,
it's fairly lackluster. As a story surrounding religious beliefs, it's
at the very least thought provoking. As a movie, I'm sorry to say it's
pretty forgettable.
