The Da Vinci Code
“The Da Vinci Code” is a movie that seemed destined to be a success. There is no doubt, that the film will be one of the highest grossing movies of the year, given the ridiculous popularity of the book by Dan Brown. A big reason people are going to see this movie is because of the book itself and the amount or controversy that surrounds its cleverly outrageous ideas. Having some of Hollywood’s most accomplished filmmakers and actors among the list of credits for this film is merely an added bonus to entice the remaining one percent of the world that has not read the book. With that being said, it might be hard to understand that “The Code” is not everything it is cracked out to be.
The film stars Tom Hanks as the reluctant, but ever so clever Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, who is summoned to help with an investigation of a murder in the Louvre Art Museum of France. Here, the symbologist meets Police Captain Bezu Fache, played by the mysterious Jean Reno, who becomes a little more shady than Langdon bargained for. Audrey Tautou stars as the fearless Sophie Neveu, who informs Langdon that he is in danger and helps him escape Fache’s trap. Together, they set out to uncover the devastating truth behind the symbols, anagrams, and hidden codes that were left at the crime scene. Meanwhile, an albino monk named Silas (Paul Bettany) is on a secret mission to keep the truth from getting out. Soon enough, Langdon and Sophie begin to discover just how deep and dangerous the conspiracies behind the secret they are trying to unlock may be.
It is impossible to watch a film based on a book and not compare the two together. In many respects, the film is a compelling visual interpretation that stays religious to the book’s important elements. All of the referenced places and events are stunningly photographed on location to give the viewer the extra sense of authenticity that Dan Brown worked tirelessly to create in his fictional novel. Not even the Hollywood status of some of the cast members destroy or overtake the film. Hanks is surprisingly believable as Professor Langdon. Overall, the appeal is in the extravagant visuals, cleverly hidden codes, and a compelling story that stays true to the original idea.
What is not appealing, is the adapted screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. The film’s story becomes a jumbled mess of confusion and some underdeveloped characters who are important in advancing an understandable story. As a book, Dan Brown had enough time and space to develop characters and background stories. As a movie, Goldsman obviously struggled to stay true to the book while keeping it under a three hour running time. This means that the audience is given less time to understand the true intentions of characters like Captain Fache when the action becomes rushed under the time constraints. This is even more devastating seeing that the movie begins with an admirable performance from Jean Reno.
As far as many of the book adaptations into movies go these days, “The Da Vinci Code” gets many things right in creating a visual style closely related to the descriptive writing of Dan Brown. However, some important characters and background stories go missing, and may only make sense if the audience has read the book. True ideas behind the conspiracies become confusing and may become frustrating to an audience member who has not read the book. Thankfully, “The Da Vinci Code” is not like the recent Harry Potter film that expects its audience to have read the 800 page book; given it tries fitting it into a two and a half hour movie. “The Da Vinci Code” is not a well constructed film, but it is a sophisticated and thrilling story that is understandable regardless of whether or not you read the book.
Putting the hype and high expectations aside, “The Da Vinci Code” succeeds in the elegant retelling of one of America’s most thrilling and distinguished best sellers. If it becomes hard to accept the actors, the controversies, and the daunting running time, you may be in for a devastating let down.
The Da Vinci Code
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content
Runtime: 149 min.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Audrey Tautou, and Paul Bettany
Directed by Ron Howard
