Book adaptation worth seeing

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2006)

When I walked into the cinema last night, I was excited, apprehensive, nervous all rolled into one! That's because I love the book so much that I never expected the film to live up to my expectations. By the time I came out, I felt like Ron Howard, Tom Hanks et al. had done justice to the novel, with regards to the time limit they had. Although not everything from the book was in the film, all the major plot was there, so I don't know why people have been slating it as 'unloyal' to the novel! Only minor points were missing, which neither added nor took away from the actual story telling.
The actors themselves fleshed out the characters in a way that I wasn't expected, after reading several bad reviews. Paul Bettany and Ian McKellen stole the show in any scene they were in, bringing real emotional depth to Silas and Leigh Teabing. I felt Audrey Tautou was an inspired choice as Sophie Neveu, and Tom Hanks filled the shoes of Robert Langdon perfectly (with a much floppier hairstyle than expected).
When reading the reviews, I found it highly annoying that critics were saying there wasn't enough action in it... Well it's not supposed to be an action film! Throwing unwanted explosions and gun fights here and there would have taken away from the thoroughly gripping seriousness of the story (Although, to all you devote Christian's, IT IS A WORK OF FICTION!)
Overall, I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code A LOT! Fans of the book shouldn't be disappointed! And if you haven't read the book, watch it anyway! Just don't take things too seriously...