So, uh...What was all that hype about?

Rating: 5/10 (19 May 2006)

The Da Vinci Code tells the story that we all must know by now about a Harvard professor who finds himself caught up in trying to solve a murder while discovering clues that lead to the theory that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and their descendants still walk the earth today. The book and movie involve intrigue, murders, mystery, and a little bit of action, and overall stirred up quite the controversy with the Catholic church. This movie has been hyped as this summer's biggest hit. The book is supposed to be an amazing best seller. Now, while the story may look intriguing, and the trailers make the film look amazing, I think that people are going to be surprised at how much of a let down this film really is.
I'll start off with the acting, since that's what bothered me the most. So many great actors in this movie...Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, Jean Reno, Ian McKellan and Tom Hanks. These are all actors that I have enjoyed watching in the past. Ian McKellan gives a solid performance and Paul Bettany is chilling as Silas, the murderous monk. Beyond that, no one does a spectacular job. Tom Hanks, who is an amazing actor, and is one of the primary reasons I thought I'd like this movie, gives the worst performance of his career. I'm talking TV movie quality acting. He never changes facial expressions, and he barely reacts to situations. His acting is so wooden, it's like it's Tom Hanks' evil twin brother out to destroy his career. Alfred Molina is quite wooden as well.
The trailers for this movie makes it look like a non-stop action film with the music playing and the images we see of people running and gun shots going off and Silas whipping himself. When you see the movie, you'll quickly realize that there's no action at all. The entire two and a half hours of film is talking. The movie actually ends up feeling longer than 2.5 hours because it drags out and some scenes. Toward the end of the movie I couldn't stop yawning.
However, this movie gets a 5 out of me because I do enjoy the code breaking aspect. I like movies that have a mystery that needs to be solved. The scene where Ian McKellan's character breaks down Da Vinci's "Last Supper" painting was very entertaining to me, as well as the end scene when Tom Hanks figures it all out. I liked National Treasure for the same reason, but unlike Da Vinci Code, National Treasure keeps you interested with a cool story, great acting and lots of action. Da Vinci Code almost feels like an ill conceived sequel. I haven't read the book, so I'm going to assume it's better than the film.
5/10