The book is better.

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2006)

Having read the book i was expecting so much more from the film. The DaVinci Code is set in beautiful locations and Ron Howard holds mostly to the books plot.
At first it is hard to get used to Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon just because having read the book there is such a preconceived notion of the character. Audrey Tatou is a believable Sophie Neveu but in comparison to how she is in the book she's a watered down version. Paul Bettany is perfectly creepy and intense in his portrayal of Silas. Sir Ian McKellen is exactly how I pictured Sir Leigh Teabing, he brings the comedic element to the film which otherwise would make it too heavy going. Jean Reno and Alfred Molina are good in their roles of Captain Fache and Bishop Aringarosa. Apart from Paul Bettany and Sir Ian McKellen the acting seemed rather flat.
I found there to be an over reliance on computer graphics. For example when Langdon is solving the first clue the fact that the letters flashed or when he visualises the tomb of Sir Issac Newton. Wonderful graphics yet slightly unnecessary. The flashback sequences designed to help you understand the history better tended to annoy me more than anything else.
The film starts out with a fast pace but in the middle it just starts to loose momentum. Overall the film is average. I was expecting it to be much better. If you've read the book you may be disappointed with some of the changes that were made. In this case the book was better.