A Movie For The Ears Rather Than The Eyes

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2006)

After months of anticipation, I finally got the chance to watch the Da Vinci Code tonight and I was left wanting a bit more...
I read only half the book and because the release of the motion picture was not too far off, this hindered me from finishing it. The first thing that struck me about the movie was how the casting of Tom Hanks and Jean Reno tarnished the content. As an actor myself I thought that Hanks should not have been cast in this role, however his performance grows on you throughout the movie. I think Hanks is an exceptional actor, but after watching it I think that a fresh face would have been more appropriate. Maybe if they decide to create a movie of Angels & Demons they might not use Hanks again. From what I could gather from the book, the character that Reno played was not what I expected. He seems to always play the French guy in Hollywood movies and I suppose it seemed only natural to cast him as a French guy in France for once. But, I could not steer my mind clear of the fact that I was watching Jean Reno and not a French equivalent of an FBI agent.
The movie itself was always going to be a hit because of the success of the book and as a whole it did not disappoint. It is rare in movies that the dialogue is more successful than the action. But, Da Vinci Code is an excellent example of using the spoken word to its full potential.
The best part of the movie for me was the feudal debate between Robert Langdon and Sir Ian McKellan's character (who never fails to disappoint me with a performance) where he exposes the painting of The Last Supper as being a controversial alternative version of Jesus'last supper with his disciples. 'The eyes see only what you want them to see', is a clever phrase that is repeated quite often throughout.
The worst parts of the movie for me were when we were shown Robert Langdon's fear of claustrophobia. Having already read Angels & Demons and half of Da Vinci code before watching the movie I already knew a lot of information about Langdon's character, but the way his fear was depicted reminded me of a 1980's American Soap Opera. And his fear wasn't exposed until it was dropped into conversation about three quarters of the way through the movie.
Overall, I really did enjoy this movie and I have no doubt that I will be buying the DVD when it comes out and I will be eagerly awaiting the movie of Angels & Demons. It's a must-see movie, which appealed to me more than the similar boom of the Lord of the Rings movies over the past four years. It's two and a half hours of education and entertainment and it won't have you looking at your watch.