Not as bad as some people are saying...but not fantastic either.

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2006)

I was wary of seeing this movie after all the bad press it received after Cannes, but honestly, it was not a bad way to spend an afternoon. The cinematography is nice, the music is cool, and the acting is solid, with the exception of Hanks and Tautou (more on that later). In particular, Paul Bettany and the inimitable Ian McKellen were enjoyable to watch. The only problem for me was that Hanks seemed awkward in the role of Robert Langdon. Not because he is Hanks, but because of delivery and persona problems that weren't quite filled out. I realize that Langdon is not supposed to be debonair and dashing, but even the less socially adept part of Langdon does not come across cleanly. Tautou is better, but the performance lacks solidarity and is plagued with the same odd dialogue problems and awkward moments as is Hanks (the dialogue problems obviously not being their fault). Their moments alone in the don't quite flow as they should. As a whole, the movie flows better, but still doesn't feel completely solid, maybe because they were still editing it two weeks ago (or so I've heard). That said, I would prefer to give this movie a 6.5 instead of a 7. As compared to the book, the book was better for me, but might not have been had I seen the movie first and known as I was reading how the book was going to end. The film is pretty darn faithful, with the addition of only a couple of small cinematic touches. Final note: It's worth the gas and ticket price if you're looking for a way to pass 2.5 hours on a slow day.