So, what's all the flap about?

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2006)

Look. Dan Brown wrote a mystery thriller. He researched it using some revisionist themes and built it on an earlier novel and it became a best seller. Good fiction always spins yarns on bits of facts and figures and then weaves them into patterns to excite our fancies and footsies. The more fantastic, very often, the greater appeal. In the case of his novel, it worked. But, is this novel based on hard evidence? C'mon. It's a novel. If one takes it seriously as an exposition of esoteric beliefs, arcane knowledge and sinister conspiracies, that is one's problem. Ron Howard made this film because he likes meaty, twisty plots and got a great crew together to do it. Tom Hanks is great, as always, so is the very lovely Audrey Tautou, Paul Bettany is creepy, Jean Reno is intense, Alfred Molina is sneaky and Ian McKellen is slimy. The film is lively, fast-paced, follows the story line of the book and if anyone's offended, that's their fault for making this tale more out than the novel it is. The end product is an entertaining movie and thanks again, Ron Howard, for giving me my money's worth.