The Da Vinci Code

There’s not much I can say about this film that hasn’t been covered in hundreds of magazines, websites and newspapers over the past few weeks and months. In fact I’ve been so sick of all the talk that it’s hard to write this knowing that in a small way I’m adding to those very articles. Basically I read the book, quite liked it but don’t see the big fuss. It’s quite obviously a load of rubbish in terms of having an actual real conspiracy to it, but it has struck a chord with society as a whole and so when the film was announced there was no surprise. What I was surprised by was that even with a great cast and director the film is so limited by its source material. In adapting such a popular book the makers have slavishly stuck to the story everybody has already read, and unfortunately for them the book isn’t strong enough for such an adaptation. The characters are weak and underdeveloped as the book is plot driven, once you’ve found out the secrets there’s no desire to re-read it (or there wasn’t from me) and watching this film felt like re-reading the book. There is very little new here and when you know where the story is heading it become a bit of a chore to sit through. This fact indicates the difference between other adaptation such as the Harry Potter films where even though I know them really well I can’t wait to see it up on the big screen, because we care about these characters, we want to see them grow and experience these things again, in the DaVinci code there is none of that. I think the telling fact is simply that if the book wasn’t so popular, this would have never been made into a film. Anyway enough of all that moaning; how is the film? Well like I said it’s a bit dull, but generally fine. It looks great, has great actors, moves at a reasonably brisk pace (at least for the first half), in other words it’s a perfect straight adaptation of a book that needed changing. Tom Hanks sleepwalks through the film, Audrey Tatou does her best and Paul Bettany and (as always) Ian McKellen really shine but ultimately I found it hard to care. There is nothing beyond the intrigue of the set-up and the payoff at the end is disappointing too. What annoyed me as well was a speech Tom Hanks is given at the end that has obviously been placed in the film to try and calm those who may be offended by the ideas of the film, but that makes no sense. It’s like proving something is true, then telling everybody all that matters is what you believe! It’s a load of rubbish and the fact that the film can’t seem to stick to its supposed message speaks volumes about how commercial a venture the whole thing has been. I think what really hampers the film is that it takes everything so deadly seriously. The book moves at a fast pace, like a film. It has crazy stunts, puzzles, car chases – like a modern Indiana Jones and yet the film feels very laboured and slow. If they had embraced the trashy nature of the book and pushed the film to the edges a bit with more humour and excitement rather than something that feels more akin to a two hour history lesson with McKellen and Hanks stopping every few minutes to explain something else to the clueless Tatou, it could have been a great adventure film. As is is though it is lacking that sense of urgency and danger, and whilst it may make interesting reading to hear about all this history, up on screen it’s harder to take in and happens far too often. But like I said the film isn’t terrible, it’s passable. It does a fine job of representing the source material, and I guess for the three people out there who haven’t read the book they might find it interesting, but for those who have read the book it feels like a complete re-tread of a tale that didn’t need re-telling, or at least not in this way. A surprisingly lethargic and wordy affair this takes too few risks with the source material and wastes the talent involved. In film the weaknesses of the book are exaggerated and by the end the film peters out with a whimper rather than a bang. A shame.