Another Well Made Film by Ron Howard

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2006)

I went to see the film on the first day when it was released for the public. Having read a few negative reviews in the media, I was rather apprehensive about this film by Ron Howard. I recently purchased the illustrated edition of the Da Vinci Code, but decided to read it after watching the film, as I did not want to know how the story begins, progress and ends. Here I was inside the theater with no anticipation or expectation. The author, Dan Brown never claimed his book was based on facts, and consequently he called it a fiction.
The result was fantastic. I enjoyed every second of it's 149 minutes. It was Indiana Jones all over again, except the Da Vinci Code was a bit more intellectually written, a step higher than the average "Boys Adventure" story. During the hunting for the Holy Grail, the characters study several paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, and found a clue in his Last Supper. Whether the person standing right side of Christ was Mary Magdalin or John the Apostle maybe debatable. But for the sake of the film, it had to be Mary Magdalin to whom Christ was married and bore a child. Apparently this information was considered taboo in the religious world, and certain factions within the religion tried to conceal that side from the public at any cost- including murders.
AS the story progress, there were a couple of times, the dialog seemed to be a bit lengthy when explaining some of the controversial theories. This is to be expected in a film like this, as it is going to be screened worldwide where there are millions of non Christians gather into their theaters to enjoy.
Tom Hanks has done justice to his character as Professor Robert Langdon. Ian Mckellan is brilliant as Lee Teibing who outshines all others. Audrey TauTou's Sophie is commendable. French actor Jean Reno- I haven't seen him since his appearance in Mission Impossible- is built for this role. Paul Bettany's Silas too was well done. The sound effects combined with the Dolby Digital was fabulous. All in all, Ron Howard made another good film to entertain the hungry audiences worldwide.