Some dodgy casting but overall a great adaptation

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2006)

This film was always going to be slated by the critics because it was never going to live up to the book or it's own hype.
However, a credible performance from Sir Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing, and an outstanding performance from Paul Bettany as Silas make this film well worth watching. Tom Hanks however, is not up to the role as Robert Langdon (sorry Tom) and you do have to ask how he actually got the role and whether the casting director had actually read the book. Don't get me wrong, I love some of his previous films (The Green Mile, You've Got Mail) but Dan Brown portrayal of Robert Langdon's character is of someone who is charismatic and passionate about his symbolism, Tom Hanks' portrayal of Robert Langdon shows neither.
As the debate rages on whether it is better to read the book first or after......
For those that have read the book, yes there are bits missing (mainly mention of his near death experiences which are dealt with in Angels & Demons and the under-lying sexual tension between Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu), but as this film is already nearly 2 and a half hours long, to add in the missing sections would have made the film far too long, plus nothing critical to the story was missed. For those that haven't read the book, you will still understand the film and will not lack any background information.
I would love to see them move Angels & Demon to the big screen too however, as Mr Langdon is supposed to be younger in this book (as it's a prequel to Da Vinci Code), hopefully they will cast a younger, more charismatic actor in the lead role.