As faithful as film adaptations can be...however, there is still room for improvement

Rating: 6/10 (21 May 2006)

Prior to my viewing of this controversial film, I could not get past page 10 of the novel. So, I had walked into the movie theatre with zero knowledge of the book, and I had walked out, enlightened.
I went to the bookshop straight after the movie and bought the novel, and so I am now going to give you a perspective from someone who first viewed the movie before the novel.
Overall, since I went to a community film theatre, the ticket was worth it, considering all the amazing scenery of the Louvre and the cathedrals etc. However, I felt that the script could have been more lively as Hanks' character appeared flat and did not create any connection with me as the audience. Paul Bettany, on the other hand, played an excellent Silas. His last scene really evoked a sense of sympathy within me and this stayed with me until I read the novel.
The music of this film could have been better, not that it was bad, but it's not something that would stay in your head after you leave the theatre. However, this film, I believe, is not in need of a famous soundtrack, as it is, first and foremost, a film adaptation of an international bestseller.
It is based on a work of fiction, and it is made solely for entertainment purposes, and with that in mind, the film is not at all bad, in fact I must say that I am impressed with its faithfulness to the original.
So, why 6? It is due to the hype generated prior to its release and the cast which one would naturally have expected more. Hanks just did not have anything that would have left me thinking like he did in the Green Mile. Tautou didn't have that appeal that she usually does in her other films. However, McKellen and Bettany were just plain, excellent.
With that in mind, I was enlightened at the end of the film, although I had lost interest half-way...