Underrated mystery

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2006)

When I first heard Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, I thought it sounded just okay. Nothing I really wanted to read. Then I decided to pick up a copy and I started reading it. It was fantastic! It was a thrilling, interesting mystery with lots of great twists and turns. An excellent page turner! Now we have the film adaptation.
Going into this movie, I knew what was going to happen. I knew all the characters, twists and turns. So what was I expecting with this film? This film follows the novel so well that anyone who has read it can see everything that going to happen from miles away. Does that ruin the fun? Does that ruin the mystery? It all depends on how you look at it.
For me, I got what I wanted out of it, which was a faithful adaptation but I do understand were the critics slightly seeing any problems. The film is very much a mystery with fun and thrilling moments but the critics wanted to see an epic thriller that is mixed with the fun and mystery of the plot. The critics wanted too much out of it. Watching this film, seeing the characters and scenes from the novel come to life, the film gives exactly what was in the novel and nothing more. I can clearly see why people will love it, like it and hate it. The film was way too over hyped and mis-advertised as an over-the-top epic thriller.
So, did I like the film? Yes, I liked it very much but it's mainly because I didn't walk into it thinking this would be an epic thriller. The story was engaging and interesting without ever going way to over the top. It was fun to see the story unfold in front of my eyes. Like reading the novel, I was hooked. The acting was top-notch with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou leading the way as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. Both were fantastic. Jean Reno and Alfred Molina were both very good as Captain Fache and Bishop Aringarosa but the best performances were Ian McKellen as Leigh Teabing and Paul Bettany as Silas. Truly great performances by both. McKellen was lots of fun to watch and Bettany was scary and thrilling.
Director Ron Howard gave the film a creepy and dark tone but at the same time, keep it light enough so nothing would seem over the top. The production design and cinematography were breathtaking and beautiful. The music by Hans Zimmer was also a great touch, adding to each scene.
I feel this film will be better praised in time like other adapted films like Blade Runner and Hannibal. Like The Da Vinci Code, they were mis-advertised and people wanted too much out of them. Hopefully, this film will be looked at in a better light in time.
To sum this up, The Da Vinci Code isn't an epic thriller. It's a mystery with thrilling moments. I do like the novel more but the film is a faithful adaptation of the novel without adding anything new. Simply put, a great adaptation of a great novel. 9/10