The Da Vinci Code – Review

Worth seeing: as a slick and solid thriller, based on Dan Brown's controversial best selling novel
Director:Ron Howard
Featuring:Tom Hanks, Alfred Molina, Audrey Tautou, Denis Podalydes, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany
Length:149 minutes
Certificate:12A
Country:US
Released:19th May 2006

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Renowned symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called to the Louvre Museum where the curator has been found murdered, leaving a mysterious trail of symbols and clues.

The French police believe Langdon killed him while Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), the police cryptologist and the dead man’s granddaughter, joins forces with Langdon to unravel the mystery.

Their quest takes them from Paris, to London and then Scotland.

The clues lead them to a covert society, dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years, but if made public could rock the foundations of Christianity.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

First there was the best-selling novel, then the headline grabbing court case and now the Hollywood film – the one Dan Brown fans have been eagerly awaiting and the Catholic Church has probably been praying would never see the light of day.

So does the Da Vinci Code live up to all the hoopla? The good news for fans is it’s a faithful adaptation of Brown’s work which has sold millions worldwide; the bad news for the Catholic Church is that it sticks religiously to the novel’s explosive premise that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife and bore him a child. Their descendants have since been protected by a secret society and the Church will go to any lengths (even murder) to stop the truth coming out.

With director Ron Howard at the helm, along with a stellar international cast, what you get is a slick and solid thriller.

It feels like there’s a lot being crammed in the 149 minutes but interesting visuals a la Beautiful Mind and CGI-like animation, bringing to life the more complicated theories about the covert societies and the history of the Holy Grail, keep you glued to the screen – along with a Bourne Supremacy-style car chase, involving a Smart car.

It’s an impressive cast with strong performances all round but Paul Bettany steals the show, as the menacing assassin Silas, the Albino Opus Dei monk who you really wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.

His purging of the flesh scenes just bring tears to the eyes (yes he gets his kit off again but not in a good way).

It’s an interesting premise and talking point but it is just entertainment.

With all the millions of Brown fans The Da Vinci Code is guaranteed to be a box office hit.