Good Adaptation of a great book,

Rating: 6/10 (19 November 2006)

The book was a great combination of history and mystery that turn into a whirlwind of twists and turns. The movie is a faithful adaptation, at least as faithful one can be with a 2 1/2 hour long time slot.
As a whole Ron Howard goes through the story with style and class. Moments in the book where Lagdon explains moment in history or figures things out are shown in the movie as great flashback sequences or numbers rearranging themselves in air. It is used to great effect here.
The ambiance is spot on giving you a feeling of foreboding and dread along with the sense that you are a part of something far greater than yourself.
The casting in this film seems perfect on paper. But not all of them are spot on. Tom Hanks particularly felt a bit flat in his portrayal of Robert Langdon. When he would get into history his tone would veer immediately into pretentiousness that became annoying. Not only till after Teaping shows up does Hanks really step up and become Robert Langdon.
The other disappointment here is Alfred Molina who does little to set Aringarosa apart from the other character. He seems unimportant and simply a distraction from the actual plot.
On the other hand Paul Battany and Audrey Tautou shine brightly as Silas the Albino and Sophie Neveu respectively. They bring their character's pain to life in haunting realism. Silas feels he has to mutilate himself just so he can get to heaven, and the first time Sophie sees her grandfather in ten years is at the scene of his murder. Both bring emotion to the film, which would've been awful if the wrong actors were cast.
The true star however is Ian McKellen as Leigh Teaping. But then again, Ian McKellen brings life to every character he portrays.
The soundtrack is anything but subtle. Hans Zimmer does his usual style of composure where the music takes on a life of it's own in the scene. The tracks are haunting and beautiful making each scene what it is. Whether it be exciting, exploratory, or gruesome in nature, Hans constructs a song to match in tone.
The ending, which should've been explosive, was reduced to nothing more than a passing event, that is followed by twenty more minutes of history and back story. It wouldn't have been so bad only you end up feeling the movie had ended long before it actually does.
I had hoped for a good adaptation and that is exactly what I got. If only it was a bit shorter and Tom Hanks filled out his role a bit better then this could've been an easy ten.