Surprisingly Good!

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2006)

Having enjoyed the book without being blown over by it, I decided to see the film although I wasn't particularly excited. Most of us would agree that Hollywood often ruins good stories, but The Da Vinci Code didn't suffer such an indignity. The film is a surprisingly good rendering of the book.
Though the main characters deliver somewhat lacking performances, the peripheral characters are triumphant; particularly Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany as Leigh Teabing and Silas respectively. Certainly, there are those skeptics out there who have a tough time accepting the seemingly outlandish leaps made by the main characters in order to solve the mystery. Yet, if one can manage to put aside her skepticism momentarily, she will certainly see a plot of thrilling intricacy.
The film certainly calls some common Catholic beliefs into question, but it also acknowledges traditional points of view through Tom Hanks' Robert Langdon. It is a terrible shame that such a great number of Catholics (many of whom make up the 17% of voters who rated this film a 1 without even seeing it) seem incapable of reckoning with opposing beliefs. I encourage everyone to see the film as a work of fiction rather than as an actual affront to Catholic traditions.