The Da Vinci backlash

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2006)

Well for the past 6 months we've trudged through the court case, the controversy the endless documentaries spouting theories surrounding what is deemed as the most controversial thing...ever. And then came the film...
First off, I did read the Da Vinci before the film came out and enjoyed every minute. It was a guiltless, fun, enjoyable and thrilling read and when the film was advertised I was quite excited. But as with many of these hyped-up blockbusters it's bound to suffer backlash and in this case I wasn't overtly surprised that virtually every critic under the Sun took every opportunity to nit-pick on the tiny details and then say it's one of the worst films ever.
Before I continue, I would just like to take the opportunity to say that I enjoyed the film. Although many accuse Hanks' performance as "woody" at best, he was playing to the best of his ability to the lines Goldsman provided. It wasn't the most polished script but I thought the film was wonderfully edited, acted to the extent it could and shot in brilliant locales. I especially thought the transition between modern London to Newton's London particularly inspired.
This is slightly ironic considering the film itself was about, I reckon, 80% faithful to the book and the book was hailed as an intelligent, fast paced thriller -a real page turner! These critics really can't make their minds up can they. But then again we mustn't forget there is a distinct difference between book and film and although the book was good the film did lack the pace that was expected.
Still though, it was a good film although not the most technically precise however with all this hype we must sit through the Da Vinci backlash and hope that soon, in the not too distant future, we all having something else to talk about because all this controversy is getting slightly tiresome.