Limp literary adaptation

Rating: 3/10 (21 May 2007)

Book-to-screen adaptations have proved themselves as tricky creatures. Peter Jackson set a new standard with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, but his success remains one of very few. The Da Vinci Code therefore presents itself as a prime example of literature limping lethargically onto the big screen.
Most frustrating is that the concept is a genuinely intriguing one. Blending a re-interpretation of biblical legend with mad monks, murder and a virtual beehive of conspiracies, Da Vinci sets itself up as a mature, contemplative project with Big Ideas. Howard's moody photography establishes a suitably ominous tone, including some inventive CGI that merges landscape from medieval times with that of the present, but Goldman's clunky script seems responsible for most of the damage.
Following its source material with an uninspired paint-by-numbers precision, Brown's book is treated with a religious reverence that would no doubt do Ian McKellen's character proud. As a viewing experience, however, it proves dull and vacant, failing to stir the emotional response that one would expect from such controversial subject matter. Adding insult to injury, the most interesting aspect of the premise  that of deciphering clues within works of art  is horribly skewed, never allowing the audience to participate in and decipher the mysteries alongside the characters.
In the end, Da Vinci is over-long and over-confident, talking itself to death. In a film about faith and its emotional bearing on the world, it is a sad irony that The Da Vinci Code leaves its audience cold and unmoved.