Authentication and therefore perpetuation of mumbo jumbo

Rating: 7/10 (28 August 2011)

Interested in the hype surrounding this for a long time I finally got to see the film tonight, it happening to be buried somewhere amongst UK Channel 5's usual shedload of brain numbing adverts. For films like this that require some thinking I find these many interruptions more than a distraction and almost a hindrance to acceptance of either film or advert.
Complicated and convoluted tale of various goodies and baddies chasing after that ultimate holy grail, The Holy Grail. During the chases you can lose track of who is good, bad or both apart from the earnest and always dependable Tom Hanks. And by the end I had denouement fatigue, so many pre or misconceptions were reversed or blown away that it almost became a comedy for me. I think they found the HG by the end, although another last minute "discovery" by Hanks overshadowed even that. I thought the ending of Pygmalion was the most contrived I'd ever seen until this - all that was revealed to me was nearly 3 hours had gone and that my TV was still on the same side.
There's usually at least two things I take away from films with religious messages: 1/ just how destructive fanatics of all kinds (whether believers unbelievers or neithers) can be; 2/ just how works of fiction such as this can end up authenticating the subject by serious treatment and therefore invigorating the superstition they are fictionalising. Also I suppose it's incredibly sad that so many intelligent people of all persuasions got so swallowed up with this nonsense they partially jettisoned common sense - whereas all religious or anti-religious fanatics jettison all common sense. My Catholic father in law would never watch this on principle! Well, he didn't miss anything conceptually vital here except maybe a good laugh.
It's fascinating and extra-thought-provoking hokum! A well made slick time-passer cleverly mixing fact fiction and fantasy and God willing something I'll watch again - but apart from fanatics does anyone really know or care where the key to the code to the key to properly appreciating it is to be found?