Seen it.... loved it

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2006)

I'll go out on a limb here and say that The Da Vinci Code is a great movie. Not in its genre, being classified as a "thriller", because let's face it, there's nothing thrilling in there if you already know the story (having read the book), but it's a great summer blockbuster.
Anyway, as it debuted in Cannes, the reviews were horrendous  too long, too complicated, you won't understand it if you haven't read the book and so on, and so forth. And the next day, it was getting worse by the minute. Now, having seen it, I have to wonder two things  whether the critics at Cannes are so cynical they don't like any movie at all anymore, or they're failed movie makers, adamant that if they didn't succeed in the business than no one would  "so let's thrash every movie that comes our way!"
I loved the movie, it wasn't at all too long, it wasn't incomprehensible, and there was nothing to laugh about at the climax, when Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) tells Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) the truth about her origins. It was a bit melodramatic, but totally plausible.
Now, for the movie. It was beautifully directed. Ron Howard knows what he's doing. It wasn't a supernatural movie, so what CGI there was served the story perfectly (to show Langdon's "almost" photographic memory or to whisk the audience back into the past as the characters discussed about history and its events). The screenplay adhered to the story line of the book as much as a screenplay can (a big round of applause for Akiva Goldsman) and if he changed the ending (between Langdon and Neveu) a little, he did good  the movie didn't need that extra zing. And don't let me touch the music. Hans Zimmer delivers each and every time, and if it had a little of the Gladiator soundtrack in it, it doesn't matter. I especially loved the last scene of the movie as Robert Langdon kneels in above the two opposing pyramids at the Louvre. I loved everything about it  the pose of the character (respectful and wondering at the same time), the lighting (it was night after all), the movements of the camera (as it travels from above, down to the pyramids and inside them, to reveal the grail), and the music only added to the enchantment and beauty of it, rising in a lovely crescendo to the revealing. Perfect!
Now, to the cast: Tom Hanks is still not Robert Langdon in my book (but that's just because each and every reader creates his/her own picture of the character), but I have nothing against his performance in this movie. In reality, he's probably the only actor in Hollywood that could deliver all those lines about history, symbology, and the grail, without turning ridiculous. I believed he knew what he was talking about  not that he's just learned those lines, but it seemed as if he'd read all the books on the subject. He did an amazing job. Tautou (at least for me) was a perfect Sophie Neveu. She might look fragile and doe-eyed, but you could glimpse something else beneath that sweet exterior. For such a young creature, she did an amazing job. I have to agree with the reviews about Ian McKellen. He stole each scene he was in. He was brilliant, as always. And I enjoyed the scene at the gate to his castle as he runs a little test on the worthiness of his visitors. Classic British wit! Jean Reno was cast to the perfection. His Bezu Fache is just like the detective I imagined reading the book. But then, who else can you cast as an uptight, know-it-all, stuck-up French policeman than Jean Reno. I love the guy. And I mustn't forget Paul Bettany as Silas, the albino Opus Dei hit man. His performance was brilliant. His depiction of a fanatic, lost soul was perfect, realistic to the goose bumps, and very poignant.
Overall, the movie is a must see for everyone  The Code's geeks that know the book by heart, and all those who haven't read the book. If you decide to go to the cinema this weekend, but don't exactly know what to see, this could be a good choice. It will give you something to think and talk about.