Controversial because...

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2006)

The strongest statement made by "The Da Vinci Code" is one of irony. The fear this movie has generated among Christians does not stem directly from the possibility of Mary Magdalene being Jesus' wife and having children by her. No, the most damaging idea the Da Vinci Code conveys to Christianity is the possibility that Jesus was not divine. The DVC posits that Jesus was just a man and it was the church, as a powerful institution, that perpetuated the legend of his divinity. Over time and through tradition, like so many other legends, Jesus' divinity became accepted as fact. The DVC makes viewers think about which possibility is more plausible; was Jesus a normal human being or was he God. Which seems more likely to you? Devout Christians don't want people to think about this because it strikes at the pillar of their beliefs. The sweet irony is that "The Da Vinci Code" presents the question of Jesus' divinity as fiction and Christianity presents it as fact! It may be that the movie is fact (concerning Jesus' divinity) and the religion is fiction. That's the blasphemy. It's nicely demonstrated by Sophie, at the movie's end.