Disappointed

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2006)

I saw this film tonight hoping that it would recapture the feeling of seeing a film that everyone in the world wanted to see. It might have been the somewhat lame audience, but the movie did nothing for me. Ron Howard was an excellent choice to direct Dan Brown's novel; he's a sharp and provoking director with a beautifully universal aesthetic. This film has less in common with the fluid editing or powerful photography of Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, or even Cinderella Man and more in common with some of his sloppier work with EdTV or The Grinch. Partly because this film is an adaptation from a book, The DaVinci Code suffers from a choppy, incoherent feel. Howard and long time collaborator Akiva Goldsman try to follow Brown's novel religiously, nervously moving from one character and narrative to the next. What ensues is a stylistic mess, clumsily using hand held cameras and somewhat obscure angles for a mass appeal film. Hanz Zimmer does provide a supportive score, but it is too prevalent in the film. I don't know if that belongs to Howard or Zimmer, but much of the action would have more impact if we were less dependent on someone telling us when to be excited. Which brings me finally to the flashbacks. This is especially where the adaptation component comes in. Since novels have so much more room and time to elaborate upon a character's history and personal development, movie adaptations must make up for this with more succinct and efficient suggestions. Howard chose to actually show many of the characters' "historical monologues" (these could either pertain to the characters' actual recollection of personal memories or their summations of the conspiratorial history regarding their pursuit) through an awkward integration of flashbacks. The one and only that sticks out successfully is the Council of Nicaea-portrayed as a mess of courtly men throwing words at one another as if they were weapons. Pulling back, the cast is good but, as other critics have noted, they look rather silly speaking some of Brown's gibberish with serious tones. Hanks and Paul Bettany surprised me. Hanks is a fantastic actor, but I thought him wrong for the role until I saw the film. Bettany was very effective, leaving no hint of his lighter side he's shown in previous films. McKellan is wonderful as always. Like the actual locales the characters travel to, the rest of the cast function as props, looking very pretty on screen but remain underused.