A sad day for adaptation.

Rating: 4/10 (28 May 2006)

Today, I went to the movies to see this film. My anticipation was great, after having read the fantastic novel by Dan Brown. Just to be on the safe side, I would like to say that I enjoyed the book both as a thriller and as a book containing interesting questions. I like to ponder upon theology and philosophy, and history as well. As such, the book gets the mind racing.
But when it comes to the movie, I was utterly disappointed. Somehow, there's really not much that actually works in this movie. It lacks suspense, it lacks depth in characters (except maybe Silas), and it lacks performance. Tom Hanks really doesn't get a chance to show his ability to act, neither do any of the others. The only upside to the movie, was Paul Bettany, who shines in his portrait of Silas.
As for the story, plot lines and events; so much has been changed from the book that I actually got mad. Now, I understand of course, that changes must be made when adapting a novel onto the screen. But here, it just does not work. Not only does it not work, but it even confuses the spectator more, in my opinion. Characters are not only different from the book, but they have actually given them personalities I consider almost opposite of the book. And important events have been skipped, thrilling moments are lost, and secrets and facts have not been taken into the movie.
The Da Vinci Code in it's original book format, contains the suspense which has kept many people laying awake at night, because they just couldn't put the book down. They HAD to know what happened next. The movie, however, lacked any suspense at all.
In addition to all this, they have poured money into making flashy sequences of Templar Knights raiding Jerusalem etc., which I for the life of me cannot understand why. I mean, as Langdon explains the "historical facts", I don't see why it is necessary? Do people really need to "see" what happened instead of hearing about it? Directing and editing in this movie is poor, which again reflects upon acting. It's not that the actors can't act. I know Audrey Tatou is great, I know Tom Hanks is great, and the same goes for Jean Reno and Sir Ian McKellen. And I definitely know the basis for the film is great, since me and about 1 zillion others loved the book. So what happened? To sum it up, I think this has got to be one of the greatest misses in book-to-movie history. All the important things in the book are not really important in the movie. All the characters have been changed and are almost uninteresting. In addition, the directing and editing seems poor. I didn't even find the movie entertaining, even though I am easily entertained. And as is customary in reviews of films such as this, one has to ask if people who haven't read the book enjoyed the movie. Well, I don't think they will. And I don't think it's all the hype that has ruined it either. It is simply a poor movie.
So, my conclusion is this. For those that have read the book, don't waste money on seeing it, and keep the memories you have of the book. For those that have not read the book, save the money from the cinema ticket, and go buy the book instead. I promise, you will not regret it.