Great story, beautiful scenes... but read the book!

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2006)

Recap: Inside the Louvre its head curator, Jacques Sauniere, is shot dead and when found by the police Sauniere has left mysterious clues, written in part with his own blood. And he says to find professor Robert Langdon, who happens to be in Paris. Police brings Langdon under the guise of wanting help to decipher the clues and symbols, but Langdon is not there to help, he is the prime suspect. Sophie Neveu warns him of this and suddenly they are on the escape from the police, and at the same time trying to understand Sauniere's message. By doing that they enters the trail of an ancient secrecy and mystery, and finds themselves in the middle of an old feud between hidden, but powerful, organisations.
Comments: A movie is not a book, and a book is not a movie. So it's never fair to compare a movie based on a book with its source. Still, it is impossible not to do so. In general, the movie follows the story of the book pretty good, but of course there are differences, and in most cases the book is better than the movie. So if you have to choose, read the book. But that puts a dilemma; if you have read the book you know the ending. And that steals away most, if not all, of the suspense and mystery. I wonder if I had not appreciated this movie better if I hadn't read the book (I guess it is the same the other way around too). However, as the book is better, I don't regret it.
Anyway, looking at the movie by itself, it is still a good movie. The story is still good, the mystery (if not known) delightfully revealed. And there are a few scenes that are breathtaking. Include all flashbacks into these, as they are spectacularly beautiful, especially that of Newton's funeral. Howard shows that he knows how to use the special effects just right, and the right amount of it. The best scene of them all had little special effects though, and it was the only scene better in the movie than in the book is the ending itself. With Langdon kneeling and the music rising it was beautiful and emotional. A great ending indeed.
I understand that the cast was not clear from the start, and the cast ending up in the movie not always the first choice. But in my mind, it was the right choice. Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen are proved great actors, they do not disappoint one bit. Paul Bettany is somewhat of a personal favorite. Though he did not have the biggest role, or much freedom in it, he was good, once again. Audrey Tautou is a new acquaintance to me, but did good with her part too. So, to conclude, acting was never the problem with this movie.
The movie has some (minor) problems though. One is not its own fault, as the real suspense ends long before the actual ending, so the last part might feel a little long and dull, even if it is crucial to the story. One other (EXTREME SPOILER ALERT!) is the suggestion of the movie that Sophie, as heir to Jesus, can perform miracles. But if the Priory was right, Jesus was human, and couldn't have performed miracles, and certainly not Sophie. If the Priory was wrong, and Jesus divine, then there could have been no heir, or am I mistaken? Finally, this is a movie, not a religious statement. Nothing to get excited about, not in that sense anyway. It is a movie, and a good movie at that. If I hadn't known the ending beforehand, it would surely gotten a higher rating.
7/10