I was prepared for dullness and mediocrity in Howard's big best-seller adaptation. The book is full of awful and clumsy writing, but it tosses out enthralling bits of art history, theology, and so-farfetched-they're-believable conspiracies, and keeps you turning pages. It's true that with another director, the movie might be faster and more fun. But it moves right along and manages to include a good deal of the 'true' material that makes the novel click. It's a big-budget Important Hollywood Production, and doesn't escape ponderousness. But sometimes it's enjoyable just to watch a big movie unfold, if it's well photographed and edited, and has a good score. Memoirs of a Geisha comes to mind, although it was both much more beautiful and much more dull.
If only we could see movies without preconceptions! This is exceedingly rare, maybe even impossible. The result is a lot of disappointments and happy surprises.
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