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Amazon.co.uk Review
Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise (games and action figures are sure to follow). The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the story is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn't envy Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter who was handed a potentially unfilmable book and asked to make a filmable script out of it. Goldsman's solution was to have the screenplay follow the book as closely as possible, with a few needed changes, including a better ending. The result is a film that actually makes slightly better entertainment than the book.
So if you're like most of the world, by now you've read the book and know that it starts out as a murder mystery. While lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator, Jacques Sauniere. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist and Sauniere's granddaughter. Neveu and Langdon are forced to team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe as it balloons into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, complete with alternative theories about the life of Christ, ancient secret societies headed by historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, secret codes, conniving bishops, daring escapes, car chases, and, of course, a murderous albino monk controlled by a secret master who calls himself "The Teacher."
Taken solely as a mystery thriller, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving forward at the breakneck pace set in the book. Brown's greatest trick might have been to have the entire story take place in a day so that the action is forced to keep going, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly a memorable screen pair; meanwhile, Sir Ian McKellen's scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needs to keep it from taking itself too seriously. In the end, this hit movie is just like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini, Amazon.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Am I the Only One,
By
This review is from: The Da Vinci Code [2006] [DVD] [2007] (DVD)
I never read the book as I've tried reading Dan Brown before and find his writing somewhat laboured.
The film however (when not compared to the book) was simply a good mystery yarn. The special effects were nicely done and I have to say that I loved the incidental music by Hans Zimmer. Maybe not for the purist historian but for a couple of hours of escapism, I thought it was great.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dont Let Others Put You Off - Its Still A Good Movie!,
By
This review is from: The Da Vinci Code (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] (DVD)
Having never read the book I cannot draw a comparison to it, however I did enjoy this movie. I thought it was visually stunning at times and a solid performance from most if not all actors involved.
The action was fast paced and you tell it was building to something but not quite sure what until all was revealed! Exactly how a movie of this type should be presented!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good as a visual accompaniment to the book,
By
This review is from: The Da Vinci Code (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] (DVD)
If you're about to buy or watch The Da Vinci code without having read the book, I would advise you to put it back on your shelf, read the book first, and then see the DVD. Just my opinion of course, but this film bears a huge similarity to the Harry Potter films in that I would hate to try to make head or tail of the stories by watching the films without having read the books. The screenplay (by necessity, I expect) chops too much from Dan Brown's book (and changes a few vital details en route) for the film to be judged as great as a stand-alone experience.
However, if you have read the book and can ignore the omissions and changes, I really enjoyed the film; partly for the casting and partly for the stunning locations. Tom Hanks sounds as if he had a cold for the entire film but apart from that made a convincing Robert Langdon; pleasant looking, unassuming, kind and clever. I loved Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu; yes, she looked a little young but I could forgive that. Ian McKellen gave a predictably fine performance as Sir Leigh Teabing, even if he could have done with some padding around his middle, and the supporting cast were fabulous. The locations were beautiful but I would have liked the film to focus more on the visual codes used in the book; i.e. Da Vinci's paintings. Dan Brown goes into such great detail about the symbolism in the "Mona Lisa", "The Last Supper" (which was visually touched upon but not enough) and in particular the "Madonna of the Rocks" that I felt the filmmakers really missed a great opportunity to bring to life these fascinating theories. So all in all, as a stand-alone film it just seems a little rushed and muddled, but a really nice visual accompaniment to the book. I'm looking forward to the forthcoming "Angels and Demons" but this time I hope the team stick more closely to Dan Brown's book which in my opinion is an even better story than "Da Vinci Code" - let's hope they get this one right.
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