Not all its cracked up to be

Rating: 2/10 (16 July 2006)

Probably one of the worst adaptations i have ever witnessed.
In all honesty i wasn't a major fan of the book, i found that to be a near plagiarism of a much more involving book "Foucalts Pendulum". This notwithstanding i watched the film hoping it may at least do justice to the Harry Potter-esquire novel. I was most disappointed in the lack of depth in the characters, through no fault of Tatou, Hanks et all, this lies squarely at the foot of Dan Browns door. Contrary to other IMDb reviews i found that large, very important sections of the dialogue and narrative were missing. Par example the way in which Langdon is able to solve the riddles and clues in no time and with seemingly little effort, whereas in the book it is a considerably lengthier affair. Add to that the lack of detail in the explanations of the symbology and iconography - supposedly langdons field of expertise - and you have missed a large portion of the books identity.
While the production team, Howard in particular may have deemed this story a little too controversial and thus "softened the blow" with endless subtle innuendo making the film constantly ambiguous, i found that the persistent divine interventions to be a bit of a cop out. Was it just me or did some higher power intervene whenever Langdon/Neveu faced danger? The white dove for one - ill say no more, if you have seen it you should know to what scene i am referring.
All in all an easy money making venture for all concerned i believe. Making a film off the back of an already popular book and not having to make it very well can yield spectacular fiscal results. As proved by The Da Vinci Code.
My advice to readers, if you haven't already, Read Foucalts Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Its a bit heavy going, but if you enjoyed the thought provoking qualities of the Dan Brown Novel you should be in your element with the pendulum.