Decoding the Encoded.

Rating: Null/10 (26 May 2006)

A murder inside the Louvre in Paris leads to an incredible journey for a Harvard professor (Tom Hanks) and a beautiful French detective (Audrey Tautou) as clues and puzzles seem to point to an unbelievable secret that could rock the very foundation of the Catholic Church and Christianity as a whole. Along the way they look for help from a cryptic expert (Ian McKellen) while dodging a pesky French police officer (Jean Reno). An eclectic cloak and dagger organization which includes priest Alfred Molina and albino monk Paul Bettany also attempts everything in their power to stop Hanks and Tautou from uncovering the greatest con ever conceived by man---the possibility of Mary Magdalene's real relationship with Jesus Christ and her true historical role. Dan Brown's ridiculously successful novel sadly falls flat for the most part on the silver screen. Director Ron Howard's picture is well made and highly ambitious, but its tone is oddball, its pace is sporadic, the chemistry among its stars is nowhere to be found, and its pathos are fuzzy and uninspired. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman's (who collaborated five years ago in 2001 with Howard on the critically superior "A Beautiful Mind") adaptation is preposterous and totally unclear. "The Da Vinci Code" drags its feet, then sprints with confusing action sequences and wild flash-points/flashbacks that will leave many more confused by the elaborate eye candy. A major loss that is just as disappointing and unwanted as the other cinematic busts of the 2000s ("Pearl Harbor", "Gods and Generals, "Troy", "Alexander"). Mediocre and forgettable. 2.5 out of 5 stars.