The Da Vinci Code

Sarai:***1/2
Let me begin by saying that I started reading the Da Vinci Code, but found the writing style wretchedly inadequate, to put it mildly. Thankfully, the film saved us all from Dan Brown’s imitation of literary “style.” With this movie, Ron Howard’s filmmaking continues to evolve by omitting most of the heavy-handed sentimentality and adding cinematic flair to the story. I especially enjoyed Howard’s stylized flashback sequences. The pace of the film seemed even and unrushed until the end, where it falls apart. Despite some faults, that I think arise from the source material, I really enjoyed the film.

I love Audrey Tautou and was pleased to see her in an English-speaking role that was more substantial than the underwhelming Dirt Pretty Things. She inhabits the character of Sophie fully and displays the subtle nuances that are so often missing in blockbuster style movies. That being said, some things in this film are too utterly unbelievable. For example, Sophie (the French FBI Agent) freezes up every time a gun is pulled on her, only to be saved at the last minute by... a college professor who studies symbols? Give me a break. Sir Ian McKellan, always the consummate performer, delivers another spot-on performance as Teabing. Paul Bettany will undoubtedly be overlooked for his intense and down-right creepy portrayal of Silas, but it was one of the best performances in the film. Jean Reno, who seems to play the “French guy” in every American movie, basically plays a meaner version of his character in French Kiss. While I did enjoy Tom Hanks performance, for the most part, you always got the impression that his character really had no clue what was going on. This would have worked fine if he actually didn’t. But his character continually outsmarts the bad guys, which Hanks’ bumbling portrayal of the professor makes look like dumb luck.

The major problem I had with this movie is that it didn’t know how to end. The obvious dramatic conclusion would be after we learn who the true descendant is. Instead, the film continues to meander for what seemed to be a good 10 to 15 minutes after it should have ended. Beyond that, by having family members of the descendant show up, without explaining how they are related, trivializes the entire drama by diluting the idea that they are the last descendant of the bloodline. The most exciting thing about the movie is watching the plot unfold, which is why I think most people who read the book will be disappointed with the film. However, you have to give the film props for giving us the uncontested stupidest movie line of the summer, “Get me to a library, fast!”


Brandon: **1/2
Unfortunately, I have to disagree. I read the novel and found it to be boring and childish. Dan Brown has no sense of character, style, pacing or even a real sense of how to write. I do agree with Roger Ebert's assertion that Ron Howard is a better director than Dan Brown is a writer, but this still doesn't make the movie good. Ron Howard, who won back my respect after Cinderella Man, is stuck here laboring under a dull and pandering story.

And this is the problem with the book itself- it's a total gimmick. Brown used a little-known conspiracy theory and used it as a trick to propel a rather lame and irritating novel. And the screenplay is by Akiva Goldsman (a screenwriter who specializes in weak screenplays) is way too literal to the book and draws the film out much longer than it needs to be. Brown’s pattern of clue/discovery/police arrival/ridiculous escape becomes very obvious onscreen The film never finds its own rhythm, instead it joylessly plods along from one unexciting (and generally unbelievable) sequence to another.

Only Jean Reno, Ian McKellan (who is basically playing Ian McKellan, but hey, I'm not sick of it yet) and Paul Bettany manage to breathe a little life into their paper-thin characters. Tom Hanks is miscast as Robert Langdon. While he looks the part of a laid-back professor, he never manages to make us believe he is the character. Audrey Tautou is wasted, but manages to bring a little sparkle to a largely thankless role.

If you’re looking for an exciting movie, you’d do better to seek out Mission: Impossible III. If you want a thought provoking movie, I hope you’ve got a decent independent theater and can check out The Proposition or An Inconvenient Truth. If you just want to be bored for a while, well, I recommend The DaVinci Code.