Solid but non-imaginative adaptation

Rating: 6/10 (4 November 2006)

Even Hollywood could have done a little bit more of the huge bestseller by Dan Brown. Despite the hype and the great cast the screen adaptation does not succeed to be as interesting as one would expect. One of the reasons I believe lies in the exaggerated fidelity to the book. As there are too few people who did not read the book, the lack of surprises plays this time much against the movie.
On the good side the action is well paced and has logic. On the bad side the two main actors do not really deliver, or even seem to be too interested in the roles. Yes, it is a performance to make Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou look un-interested and un-interesting, but director Ron Howard succeeds to do it, even for the great fan of the two actors that I happen to be. In this case I will probably remember better some of the supporting roles.
Nothing or not too much of the mystery of the subject makes it to the screen. I do not believe that the scandal around the book and the movie was justified, this is only popular entertainment and action cinema, and the film never tries to be more. Take it as another big studios action movie, not the best, just an average plus movie of its kind.