The Da Vinci Code has some great detective moments. The clues are really fun to follow. The secret revealed at the end is big enough to warrant the chase. The puzzles and riddles are fun to solve. The plucky heroes are likable enough that we hope they solve the puzzle and don't get nabbed in the process. The movie stayed very, very close to the book. The book was ridiculously popular for a reason. It's a fun story!
I should spend a little time with the look of The Da Vinci Code. Location shots were gorgeous and added to the feeling of wonder that was invoked by the adventure. Short flashbacks were well placed, well timed, and did a bang up job summarizing the characters' back stories with only a tad of confusion in the process. The biggest change from the book was the special effects used to demonstrate Robert Langdon's puzzling process for some of the clues. It was a bit unexpected at first, but by the end, I felt it was a very refreshing way of walking us through Langdon's deciphering without resorting to long moments of watching him Tom Hanks mumble to himself.
My biggest nitpick with the movie would probably have to be the acting. It begins with an excellent cast playing less than excellent roles. I think the casting director may have stolen a glance at a list of my favorite actors for this one. The movie included powerhouses Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen, cult favorites Alfred Molina and Jean Reno, rising star Paul Bettany (his unforgettable role as Chaucer in A Knight's Tale is literally the only thing I remember from that very forgettable movie), and the always adorable Audrey Tatou.
Problem is, The Da Vinci Code really didn't require any of this talent. The roles aren't complicated. There's next to zero character development and about the same amount of drama. The book was the exact same way though! With a cast of this magnitude and a story that was more about the puzzles than the people solving them, I can't help but wonder if the actors received direction like "Now listen here Tom, don't bring too much attention to yourself. We want the audience thinking about the puzzle box you're holding, not about what your character's feeling right now." Should that be the case, they succeeded famously.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
"The victim seems to have spent his last moments leaving cryptic messages meant specifically for Mr. Langdon!"
And his granddaughter. He left "PS Find Robert Langdon" for her. PS=Princess Sofie
"If the preview looks good to you, you'll probably enjoy it."
Have to disagree with that. Much easier to make an interesting couple of minutes rather than a entire film. Are you saying that every preview that looked good to you resulted in you enjoying the film?
2 - Brian
"Are you saying that every preview that looked good to you resulted in you enjoying the film?"
I didnt hear him say that at all, I saw him say that if you enjoyed the trailer for this film, then you would probably enjoy this film
3 - Sang
Do you know if there is a similar movie to davinci code? Please let me know....