I gathered three workmates and headed for the movie that everyone's been talking about. Three of us had already read the book; one hadn't but knew the general idea of the story. It's hard not to when a movie gets this much press, good and bad. Because of all the talk beforehand, each of us had different expectations and apprehensions about the film. And in the end? Well, critics can sometimes be very...critical. All four of us enjoyed the movie on different levels, but we all four still had a good night at the show.

Chances are everyone reading this already knows The Da Vinci Code's plot. You've all already read the book. Or heard about the book. Or heard about the movie. Or heard about the other book that this one allegedly ripped ideas from. Well, you get the picture. However, there may be 20 or so people out there that have no idea what this little film is about.

For you few secluded (or excluded I suppose) individuals, The Da Vinci Code is an adventure story. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is in Paris, signing copies of his new book on religious symbolism, when the French FBI requests his presence at a crime scene. It seems an elderly acquaintance of his was just murdered and his knowledge of symbols may help decipher a very odd crime scene. The victim seems to have spent his last moments leaving cryptic messages meant specifically for Mr. Langdon!

Thus, a simple college professor gets pulled into a mystery that leads to a country hopping, clue following, code cracking adventure. All the while, he is being chased by the nefarious group that murdered the old man for the secret knowledge that seems intended only for the unlikely Langdon. Does this all seem too vague? Good. I'd hate to ruin a decent story for the 20 people that don't already know about it.

I think The Da Vinci Code is one of the better book-to-movie conversions out there. The movie contained all the same clues, puzzles, chases, twists, and conspiracies that book had. The book never got encumbered with layers of conspiracy theory, the movie didn't either. The pacing felt similar, the sense of adventure felt similar, as did the joy of a merry chase and the fun of learning secret knowledge. I think the film industry deserves huge props for staying true to the detective/puzzle/adventure feel of the book instead of attempting to jazz up the story for a more action/thriller theme.