The DaVinci Code
The DaVinci Code
has been getting dumped on from all sides. The Catholic Church has
been saying it is sacrilegious. The fans of the best selling book have
said it doesn't live up to the source material. The movie critics have
been even harsher, calling it slow-moving and impenetrable.
I really have no idea why
everybody is so up in arms about it. The DaVinci Code is by no
means a perfect movie, but it is a very good one – an above average, enjoyable and
surprisingly smart thriller.
Now, in interest of full
disclosure, I'm one of the five people in the world who has never read the
novel. In fact, I never really had any interest, but after seeing the
movie I am reconsidering. So I'm not going into the movie with any
preconceived notions, however I also had not built up any fondness for the
story and characters.
Perhaps that's okay,
because to a certain extent character is secondary to the story. There
are some interesting characters who have some very intriguing quirks,
however they are almost window dressing here, the puzzle box narrative is
the thrust of the film.
Tom Hanks plays Robert
Langdon, an American professor visiting Paris to lecture on his specialty,
the meanings of symbols. A curator at the Louvre is murdered and
stages his corpse to be a clue which only Langdon could translate.
With the man's granddaughter, (Audrey Tautou), he starts traipsing up and
down Europe uncovering clues to a secret which could potentially rock the
Catholic Church. In the meantime, a cardinal (Alfred Molina) and a
deadly monk (Paul Bettany) hunt the couple, as do the policeman (Jean Reno)
who is certain that Langdon is guilty of the murder.
They uncover a fascinating
series of clues, puzzles and traps which lead them closer to the secret.
The DaVinci Code's
action is deliberate and thoughtful, but it can be
as shocking as any more base thriller. The ending, while not quite as
original as it probably strives to be, is still smart and satisfying.
Don't believe all the
negative hype. The DaVinci Code is definitely a movie that is
well-worth seeing.
(5/06)
Jay
S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2006
PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved.
Posted: May 28, 2006.
