Da Vinci doesn't da liver

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2006)

Oh dear. What happened?
Phenomenally successful book turned into a big budget treasure hunt with absurd conspiracy stories that border on retarded.
No, it really isn't that good, and my audience made that known. People leaving looked underwhelmed and confused. One guy yelled out to his mate on the other side of the hall, "It ain't good, eh mate?". He agreed. It doesn't take Robert Langdon to figure out that it's not a good sign when audience members complain audibly about the film the moment it ends.
Cast wise, Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou make a great team but the absurd plot obviously kept them from reaching their full potential. It didn't help that they were being dictated by a wooden script that didn't even know what to do with itself. As being the blast of fresh air that he always is, Ian McKellen saves the film. His soothing deep voice was definitely comforting and helped to reassure me that the creators of this film wern't completely brain dead. His presence really is wonderful and I was so grateful to see a great actor grace the screen.
On to bad things. The meaningless flashbacks really REALLY got on my nerves, especially how they just pop out of ordinary situations, and had that weird dreamy sense to them. The almost countless conspiracy theories of Opus Dei got so numerous I practically gave up 3/4 into the film. In the end, I gave up on trying to make sense of it and accepted it for being what it is: fiction.
Overall, to put it in short terms, The Da Vinci Code is way too outrageous to be taken seriously. I want to like the film but it's just not going for me.
Save your money this weekend and stay in with a rental and a curry.
6/10