Movie's depiction of Langdon

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2006)

I liked the movie more than I thought I would. It was fairly entertaining and moved pretty well. The casting was kind of awkward though. I really didn't like Tom Hanks as Langdon. For some reason, he just didn't seem to resemble my vision of what Robert Langdon would be. I liked the guy from the Professional as Fache and I liked the guy who played Teabing. But, Sophie, although very pretty, seemed to struggle a little too much with her English to put on a convincing performance. Maybe that was intentional to be authentic? But, I don't think so. But, to the point, the biggest thing that disappointed me was the movie's depiction of Robert Langdon. I didn't like the fact that he was depicted as a defender of the Christian faith. Now, I'm sure Christians would not see it this way at all... But, he kept referring to all of the theories that Teabing and he would bring up about the Sangreal as "myths". I'm not arguing that they are or aren't myths, I'm just saying that this is not how he was depicted in the book. I also realize that changes need to be made from the book to the movie for it to work on screen. But, in my mind, this change was made to pander to the Christian world and paint a more "open" picture. The book clearly has Langdon as a "believer" in the Sangreal "myth". But, the movie pits him in direct contention with Teabing and his thoughts.