Hanks miscast in drawn out mystery

Rating: 4/10 (23 December 2006)

Having never read the book, I cannot comment one way or the other on whether or not "The Da Vinci Code" is a faithful adaptation of Dan Browne's tremendously successful story. So I am left to comment on the story as film screenplay. Well, it must have been one hell of a good book, but it is a mess of a movie.
The central theme is very interesting. Was Jesus Christ the son of God, or an ordinary man who did many good deeds, who married Mary Magdalene, and produced heirs? As a theory or history lesson, this is really quite remarkable to contemplate. As a film however, it leaves way too much of the story being told to us, and not enough of it unfolds for us to discover. This is a dreadful mistake to make in a murder mystery. As such, I kept hearing interesting theories, but I did not see anything take place on the screen.
And that includes the acting. With the wonderful cast that appears, you would think that there would be several good performances. But that is not the case. In my opinion, Tom Hanks is badly miscast here. I felt that he was a little too old for the part. He was not the least bit interesting to watch, often appeared wooden, and trying not to "act". The always reliable Jean Reno was for the most part wasted.
In the end, this was a story that probably should not have been adapted to the movies. Perhaps it could not be adapted successfully. Too much background detail, and too confusing to keep track of who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Don't waste your money on this one.
4 out of 10