Da Vinci Code *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* … Book vs. Movie

[FastFreddy]

I was afraid that Hollywood would make a conventional thriller out of the novel that I loved for its rich (pseudo)-historical detail. There was no way to put all of that in a 2½ hour movie but I think they did an admirable job of hitting the high points.

They cut about 80% of the discussion of history, art, and architecture -- and still made a movie much too “talky” for the youth audience. I didn’t expect a totally faithful adaptation (which Ron Howard’s film basically is) of Dan Brown’s mega-selling novel to make a conventional action movie – so this didn’t surprise me.

I did like what the filmmakers did with Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks): in the movie he’s a little more of a skeptic. In the book, Langdon fully embraces the pagan ideas of goddess worship, etc. but in the movie he’s more of a Christian with an asterisk – he’s no wide-eyed true believer but he’s still among the faithful. At first I wondered why the filmmakers put in his childhood trauma of being stuck in a well (not in the book) – and the resulting claustrophobia. At the end of the movie, I realized that that was they way they showed – after Sophie “cured” him – that he had faith – and that she had a touch of divinity. That’s another difference: in the book, she’s plainly human but in the movie, they leave open the possibility that she, as a descendent of Christ, is super-human. And therefore Christ, in spite of marrying and having a daughter, was actually the son of God.

My one big disappointment in the movie was Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen – a great actor but he didn’t get this one right, IMO). The film character didn’t capture the swaggering, eccentric British aristocrat from the book. The Silas character (Paul Bettany) was also toned down in the movie, relative to the book – and making him a bigger part of the story would have helped the film with the youth audience.

Another thing toned down in the movie – for the better in this case – is the portrayal of Opus Dei. In the movie, police captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) is a member of Opus Dei and a good guy who isn’t part of any plot to kill the members of the Priory of Sion.

Bottom Line: the millions who made the book one of the best-selling in publishing history will probably be satisfied – with a few reservations – with the movie. The under-25 crowd will probably be bored – and the trailer can be blamed – it misleadingly showed lots of action.

[skydive69]

I'm afraid that more than just the under 25 crowd will be bored. Check out the horrible 18% rating the movie garnered on rottentomatoes.com

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code/

For those of you not familiar with RT, it is a compendium of some of the top reviewers in the country.

[LordOpie]

sounds like the movie made way too many concessions to the 'church' :(

Thanks for the review, but it sounds like it wasn't faithful to the book at all, so I'll probably skip it if other spoiler-reviews report the same inconsistencies.

[DannoXYZ]

I thought it was pretty close rendition to the book, perhaps a little too much. It could've used some creative liberties to make it more entertaining on the screen, more excitement, more drama. It's a hard book to portray though with multiple sides all facing off against each other. Silas should've been more sinister...

Tom Hanks wasn't the right one to play Langdon, though. I expected a more charismatic personnae, more suave, yet still intellectual. Hank's speaking and style isn't up to a top university lecturer and writer. I expected more of a Harrison Ford in the original Indiana Jones movie, or even Pierce Brosnan in the Bond flicks.

Overall, not a bad movie, just couldn't live up to the book. Needs more fear & excitement, seat-gripping suspense.

[Wil Davis]

I heard a review on the Beeb two days before it was released in the UK. According to the two Beeb critics:

The preview audience in Cannes gave it a very flat response, no applause which is quite unusual for a first-night audience - they usually applaud wildly or boo vigorously. Both reviewers panned it - they compared the SFX with those from Lord of the Rings, and this wasn't helped by the fact that Sir Ian was very "Gandalf-esque" in his role. The gist was there was far too much explanation, something which became tedious and flat and added nothing to the pace. The book is quite a "page-turner" but while the film is very true to the book, it didn't translate well to the screen. The film is full of clichés and gets less exciting as it progresses. Clunking dialogue and no character development. Too much exposition. Bland film.

I'll wait for it to come out on DVD and get it from Netflix.

- Wil

[hoogie]

just saw the movie yesterday and i have to say that i prefered the book version ... however, it was good to be able to see the locations in the book on the big screen

[steveknight]

they really dumbed it down. not much effort to solve the problems they did not even have to go to the libary they used google or close to it for the search. only a single cyrptex and opened too late. the secret room in the church in the end.

[Guest]

Thanks. I thought I'd hold off until onDemand picks it up later this year. I'll take the nephews to see that new Dreamworks picture instead!

Koffee

[steveknight]

I don't think I would have gone but I needed a movie and my daughter could not go at the time to over the hedge.

[misteralz]

Average movie, some superb mis-castings. Teabag or whatever his name was would have been done much more justice by Sir Michael Gambon...

[CyLowe97]

At first I wondered why the filmmakers put in his childhood trauma of being stuck in a well (not in the book) – and the resulting claustrophobia.

Did you read Angels and Demons, the first Robert Langdon book by Brown? I think he explains it in there.

For anyone who read Angels and Demons before reading DaVinci Code, the latter book is a basic disappointment, as the plots are fairly parallel. The first one was much cooler, even though they are both so far fetched. It's basically Indiana Jones goes to the Vatican or the Louvre. Fun summer reads, but not earth-shattering social commentary by any means. I can't imagine how the Catholic Church is afraid of a frickin' novel. :rolleyes:

[FastFreddy]

Did you read Angels and Demons, the first Robert Langdon book by Brown? I think he explains it in there.

For anyone who read Angels and Demons before reading DaVinci Code, the latter book is a basic disappointment, as the plots are fairly parallel. The first one was much cooler, even though they are both so far fetched. It's basically Indiana Jones goes to the Vatican or the Louvre. Fun summer reads, but not earth-shattering social commentary by any means. I can't imagine how the Catholic Church is afraid of a frickin' novel. :rolleyes:

I knew that The Da Vinci Code is the second in a trilogy but I haven’t read Angels and Demons – I’d like to read it and the upcoming one about the Masons.

I think that, for a long time, the Church didn’t say much about it -- The Da Vinci Code was published three years ago but only in the last six months or so has there been much of a protest. I believe their problem with the book is that some of their faithful have started to believe Dan Brown’s version of history.

Re. Critics’ Reaction to the Movie: They’re just mad because Sony didn’t make it available to them until the last minute so they had to write their reviews up against a tight deadline, IMO.

It’s not a great movie but it is much better than most of what comes out of Hollywood.

I agree the Michael Gambon would have made a better Sir Leigh Teabing.

[DannoXYZ]

I think that, for a long time, the Church didn’t say much about it -- The Da Vinci Code was published three years ago but only in the last six months or so has there been much of a protest. I believe their problem with the book is that some of their faithful have started to believe Dan Brown’s version of history.Strange though because these ideas have been around for thousands of years. Why would the church suddenly take offence?

Yeah, it was a better movie than a lot of Hollywood releases, I'm kinda sick of gangsta bling-bling movies...

[FastFreddy]

Strange though because these ideas have been around for thousands of years. Why would the church suddenly take offence?



I’m pretty sure that the Church is always bothered to hear stories like that circulating. But the difference is in the volume – if it’s at a low level, they just ignore it – if it starts to influence a lot of Catholics, they fell that they have to respond. It’s PR strategy – low-level bad stuff is best ignored lest the Church’s attention fan the flame, making the story bigger – while a huge mass-media-event (book, movie, internet) bad story must be countered.

[FastFreddy]

Fact vs. Fiction Department

I believe it was in The New Yorker where I read that Opus Dei called the cilice (worn by Silas in the book and movie and in real life by the numeraries of Opus Dei :eek:) a “public relations problem.” When I read the book, I figured that the cilice was probably something that existed a couple of centuries ago and Dan Brown just fantasized that it was still being used today.

[0_emissions :=)]

I went to go see it last night, and I must say, I was dissapointed. I mean, I had low sights set for the movie anyways, as it was coming from hollywood. It just seemed like most of the cast was there to collect a paycheque, not a lot of great acting. I liked the scenery, great locations. I did like how the screenplay was pretty faithful to the book. I can see how it's hard to pack a whole novel worth of info into 2 1/2 hrs. Overall, ...:o I dunno, coulda been better.
Off-topic: I rode my bike to the theatre. It's a 35-45 min ride uphill to Crowfoot Crossing, 10 min downhill back:) . Anyways, it's an ugly, suburban experience. All the stores are on the edge, with a HUGE parking lot, right in the middle. I kinda found it funny that my bike was one of only 2 bikes there.
Also, I haven't been to a theatre in a while. Holy ads!!! You have to sit thru 20 mins of crap theatre ads, then it's 5-10 mins of paid ads,(cars, laundry soap, whatever), THEN sit thru all the previews, which aren't bad. Just a small rant on the state of the movie-going experience in 2006...

[cyclezealot]

For an odd twist. Bike down the "Carmargue." to the city of St. Marie de Mer. At the mouth of the Rhone. The little Catholic church overlooking the Mediterannean has a plaque upon it. The plaque indicates that Jesus worshiped here after he fled to France.
The church is still labeled Catholic. Go Figure? New Pope, maybe the plaque has been removed?

[KrisPistofferson]

Never read the book. Saw the movie. Absolutely hated it. It was kind of like Umberto Eco's "Foucalt's Pendulum," only for people who like "Oprah." Great actors. Great director. ****ty movie. Weird. I'm thinking the book was incredibly dialogue-heavy, and that's why the movie never, ever gets exciting?

[Murdock]

At first I wondered why the filmmakers put in his childhood trauma of being stuck in a well (not in the book) – and the resulting claustrophobia.

Just finished the book - great read. Looking forward to the movie. But, the well-thing was in the book...

[TheKillerPenguin]

did anyone else laugh out loud when it melodramatically flashbacked to when her parents were killed by a truck? I was lucky the score was super loud at that point or I may have gotten some funny looks :D

[bruce19]

DaVinci Code, the book, was a lot of fun. DaVinci Code, the movie, sucked. No "there" , there.

bruce19