Sketchy

Rating: 5/10 (2 August 2006)

There's been such a lot of controversy regarding the book that the movie was bound to be something that people watched out for eagerly. Despite a lot of adverse criticism, people flocked to the theatres to watch the movie and judge for themselves whether all the hullabaloo was really worth it. To that end, I think, unwittingly, the people who were calling for a ban, actually ended up promoting it!! I was amongst the people who waited for the movie to be released in theatres in India and made my way to the hall the moment it was released.
Having read the book, I was a trifle disappointed by the movie. From the point of view of portrayal of the characters, the actors have done a fairly good job. But the sum total of the movie as a whole, could have been better, I feel.
The book deals with the plot very systematically ... proceeding step by cautious step. The plot is developed very logically and convincingly. It's true that the ending is a bit tame, but by and large, the book's action is fast paced and gripping.
This is sadly lacking in the movie. I realise that with the limited time frame within which the plot has to be unravelled and wound up, it is impossible to do justice to the storyline. However, I still found the treatment to be very sketchy and superficial. There were people in the audience who had not read the book. It was difficult for them to follow the entire action ... that is, there were gaps that remained ambiguous since there was no explanation, no foot-notes about entities such as the Opus Dei etc. The reasons behind Silas' actions remain a mystery. For the average Indian audience, or for people who are non-Christians, a lot of what was portrayed on screen, left questions in their minds.
The movie fails to live up to expectations. The atmosphere of suspense (Dan Brown's book is essentially a thriller), never really gets a chance to be built up.
The book is "unputdownable" ... but the movie, apart from satisfying the curiosity of the public, thanks to the furore over it's release, is eminently very "missable"!!