Far from a cinematic travesty, but equally far from perfection

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2006)

The Da Vinci Code is a very good adaptation of a book that was always going to be tough to compress without losing too much detail or reason, but then again Howard does make several key mistakes. First things first, Hanks seemed wrong for the part - my money has always been on Dennis Quaid to pull off a good Langdon and after seeing the film I'm even more certain of my choice. I also thought that Audrey Tautou seemed to misfire in one of her first English-speaking roles (Dirty Pretty Things aside): she put some very strange emphasis on certain words and occasionally let out the most god-awful example of how not to deliver a line ("But PROFESSOR!"). However, she was spunky enough for the role and I for one was more than happy to look at Amelie for 2 and a half hours! Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen and Jean Reno were all fine (Bettany probably came off the best); Molina didn't seem to register whatsoever, especially considering the character is fairly meaty in the novel.
As for Howard's direction, it was largely good with a few clunky moments. The Louvre lacked spectacle (aside from the climactic shot which I thought was handled very well) and the chase sequences seemed a bit stale and flat. I also thought the pace was too zippy, flitting between set-pieces with reckless abandon and little concern for plausibility (the novel had a lot more reason and explanation for the plot's various meanderings, something that Goldsman clearly decided to omit). Dialogue was good on the whole, apart from one of the worst lines in recent cinema history..."I need to get to a library, fast!"
The Da Vinci Code is certainly not the cinematic travesty that some reviewers might lead you to believe; I also think that those who have read the book will get more from the film since too much has been cut out. Whilst far from a polished, tantalising adaptation that could have been made by a director with more artistic sensibilities, it's a functional and enjoyable romp to complement the rest of the summer movie crowd.