The Novel Better Than Movie

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2011)

The Da Vinci Code is a movie that is an adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller of the same title.
It is a story of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who was called late at night at the Louvre museum where a curator has been found murdered.Together with French police cryptologist Sophie Neveu ( French actress Audrey Tautou),they solve a series of secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci which may unravel a religious secret that may shatter the foundations of Christian beliefs that has been held by man for more than 2000 years.It basically tells the viewer that Jesus fathered a child with Mary Magdalene and held a family line in France that was kept in secret by the Vatican and the Catholic group known as Opus Dei.
The film softens its religious issues that was described in the book.It never discussed so much about the origins of the bible nor Jesus' divinity.Nobody who watched this film will definitely undergo any religious crisis.
Also,the novel is a lot better than the film.I have to keep myself awake in its 2 hour and 46 minute run.But the visuals were great.It was shot in Paris,London and in Scotland.Great acting too.
Tom Hanks was excellent as usual.Audrey Tatou is promising.Despite of its slow pacing brought about by too many talking among the characters,Ron Howard did a wonderful job of directing the film which basically based its most of its plot from the novel.
Unfortunately,the film's script never lived up to the greatness of the book's story in terms of suspense.Anybody who read the book should not expect the same from the film.Highly recommended to anyone who loves good thrillers and who admires Tom Hanks as an actor.