Faithful Adaptation

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2006)

I work at a movie theater and one of the perks of the job is seeing movies before the general public. However, I rarely partake in this act because quite frankly, most movies nowadays don't interest me. However, this was one movie I had been waiting for for the last two years. Having read the book (and it's prequel, the even better (IMO) Angels and Demons), I could not wait to see this movie. Unfortunately, I left the theater last night a little bit disappointed. I know that 9 times out of 10 books will always be better than the movies, but I really thought, considering the source material, that this would be one of those rare exceptions. Now, I'm not saying that this was a bad movie, because it wasn't (despite what the critics are saying), but I expected more. The characters (with the exception of Teabing, played masterfully by Ian McKellan) lacked character. Tom Hanks' Robert Langdon was nowhere near as charismatic as his novel counterpart, although I don't blame Hanks for that. I blame the script. Despite being the lead character, Langdon didn't seem to have as big a role or nearly as many lines as I would have imagined. Another gripe I have with the film was that it didn't nearly get into as much detail about Da Vinci's art as it should have. The painting Madonna on the Rocks was especially neglected. However, the film does succeed in recreating that treasure hunt feel from the book. The chases, the twists, the turns, are all recreated, for the most part, faithfully.
I think people who come into the movie cold will most likely enjoy the movie most. My manager who previewed the film with me and some other co-workers absolutely loved the film and she said that she was on the edge of her seat the entire movie wanting to know what happened next.
As for the controversy, all I'm going to say is that in the bookstores this book is in the "FICTION" section. Keep that in mind.