Great casting but the book was better

Rating: 5/10 (23 May 2006)

These are entirely personal opinions from someone whose faith is not hampered by fiction. In my opinion this is not Dan Brown's best book and carries pride of place based on skillful manipulation of contentious material. I love a good stir, so I was really looking forward to this film. I was impressed with how much from the book they managed to pack in, I was very impressed with the casting, Reno and Tautou carried the French angle superbly, Bettany and McKellan both turned in sterling performances. At this point though it all falls apart, having been so faithful to the book, and cramming so much in I found myself squirming in the seat waiting for the end. Hanks' (or maybe his lines) did not match my expectations of an American Professor. The book for me was a real page turner, I was wholly enthralled by the pace and the ideas that circulated around the text. The film though stuttered in several places leaving me hanging and disinterested. Such a shame, it promised so much but in the end delivered a middle of the road product. The star of the film, well that has to be the glass pyramid!