Fabulous but key scenes for context and content were dropped

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2006)

The movie is not as good as the book for four reasons: (1) it should have included the call from the grandfather to his granddaughter at the beginning as this is needed for dramatic coherence; (2) it should have included a flashback to Silas leaving the Andorra jail after the earthquake because this has such cinematic potential; (3)it should have included Collet's finding of the eavesdropping location in the attic of the barn because Fache's actions make no sense without this scene; and (4) the ending change is incomprehensible as meeting one's long lost brother and grandmother and a wonderful kiss between two people who have shared an extraordinary adventure sure beats seeing a bunch of musty archives deep underground for a climactic moment.