an OK achievement in a book-to-screen adaptation

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2006)

OK first of all I read Dan Brown's book and actually had a great time while at it. I don't consider him a great book writer but he certainly knew how to keep me interested and entertained, and for that I give him credit. I don't want to get into the whole Christianity thing that's going around the movie's plot, as I feel that it is a fiction novel and an intriguing theory, regardless of how offensive it may sound to some people (it is one's right to free speech, isn't that what everyone was shouting at the danish cartoon terrorists?). Anyways (sorry for drifting away) the movie stays true to the book's story most of the time, changing only a couple of minor details that won't really matter in the long run. The whole plot seems very compressed tho as there is a lot to go trough and not a lot of time to do so. This results in some underdevelopment of most of the characters, and there's a feeling of shallowness to them, as much of their background is rushed trough in the middle of the action. Also some lines from the book have been forced into the script, resulting in a couple of poorly acted scenes, but other than that all main actors did a very good job, specially Paul Bettany and Ian McKellen. All in all it's a cool movie, despite of all the flaws. If you haven't read the book, and don't take the whole religious thing too seriously, give it a try, it's far from being a bad movie. If you have read the book, go check it out too, either way it'll be a fun evening if you're not expecting a lot.