If you want the book. . . go read it

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2009)

It was only after seeing the film that I realized exactly how much had been changed or left out of the film and the odd thing is, I didn't miss it at all. While the book is richer and has much more character detail, that's the way books are. As a film, a fast-paced entertaining colorful story, this does very well. Let's face it, some of what Dan Brown writes is really implausible. I mean, did anyone really believe that Langdon could jump out of a helicopter with only a small sheet as a parachute and actually survive? And I was rather glad that the silly, rather precious sub plot of the Camerlengo being the biological son of the late pope, conceived without a sex act was gone. That was kind of embarrassing in its unbelievability. Tom Hanks is rapidly growing into the role Gregory Peck once occupied--when we see him, we trust him because he's Tom Hanks. The cast was interesting in its international flavor and the CGI used to round out the places they weren't allowed to really shoot in was excellent. You have to take Dan Brown novels for what they are--wild rides to nowhere, but you love getting to the destination. Just don't think about it too much. As a film, this was pretty decent since the book they were adapting was a difficult plot line that contained many, many deviations from the main. I say, just sit back and enjoy. Don't forget the popcorn. This film was made for it.