Review:

** ½ (out of ****)

Starring:

Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Etienne Chicot, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Marie-Françoise Audollent

Director:

Ron Howard

Screenplay:

Akiva Goldsman (Novel: Dan Brown)

Length:

149 min.

MPAA Rating:

PG-13 (For disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content)

There are many elements of Dan Brown’s intriguing novel The Da Vinci Code that make it to the screen of Ron Howard’s new film. However, there are plenty of aspects that don’t.

What if the Holy Grail that has been sought for centuries were not a chalice after all? What if it were actually something much more empowering and significantly more dangerous to the church? Brown’s novel poses several questions and creates an intensely thought-provoking view organized religion.

As a reviewer, one can’t talk about the film version without touching on the controversy. The Catholic Church lashed out at the film before it debuted at the theater giving it a more impressive debut than it probably would have had. The church did far more to hurt its cause than bolster its message. However, what it amounts to is ‘much ado about nothing’. The film is a significant departure from the novel.

In the novel, Brown tackles the rogue religious sect Opus Dei whose members subjugate women and inflict brutal punishments on themselves for supposed sins. It is Opus Dei that’s the true villain in the book, not the church itself. However, the film doesn’t portray that. Instead, it portrays the entire church in a negative light.

The French-speaking part of the cast (Jean Reno as Bezu Fache and Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu) is superb. Even Ian McKellen does a fantastic job (though he’s completely wrong for the part in the book-comparative looks department) as Grail-nut Sir Leigh Teabing. However, two of the more important characters to the film are poorly portrayed and significantly less ‘right’ for the part.

Tom Hanks telegraphs in his performance as Dr. Robert Langdon whose research catches the eye of Louvre museum director Jacques Saunière. It doesn’t help that screenwriter (if you could actually call him much more than that) Akiva Goldsman creates an ill-fitting backstory for Langdon. Hanks fails to capture the enthusiasm his character possessed in the book.

Paul Bettany is even more woefully cast. Bettany’s a fine actor but Howard’s reliance on him is regrettable. The albino Silas is hardly hulking as the book describes him and far less menacing at that. The film version is maniacal and razor-sharp despite the book’s version which is lumbering and brutal.

However, the disconnect between the novel and film doesn’t end with poor casting. The Da Vinci Code, while languid in places in the book, nevertheless kept the readers attention, waiting impatiently to reach the conclusion. The movie, however, ratchets up the ennui by making it seemingly more lengthy. Plodding to a finale that doesn’t even approach the quality of the book conclusion, we’re left with little more than a pale comparison. Only the “reveal” of The Teacher’s identity is handled better on film than in the book.

Fans of the book will miss a significant portion of the books charisma in the film. Some will enjoy the feature nonetheless and slap down their entry fee multiple times. But, as in most cases, the book is better than the film and I recommend a review of the novel first. Don’t ruin the surprises by watching the movie.

-Wesley Lovell (July 20, 2006)