The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Better Late Then Never

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

As tripe as religion itself, Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code manages to create a sense of interest in its opening moments and is involving to a certain extent but the longer it goes on, the more absurd it becomes. Convoluted, inflated & packed with provocative Christian allegories, it's simply a series of nonsensical twists & turns that goes on for far too long.The story of The Da Vinci Code follows an American symbologist & a French cryptographer as they team up to investigate a grisly murder the former is suspected of. With the help of clues present in Leonardo da Vinci's works, the two attempt to connect the dots and end up discovering a religious mystery that could shake the very foundations of Christianity.Directed by Ron Howard (best known for Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind & Rush), The Da Vinci Code is intriguing at first, opening with the event that sets its story into motion, but it starts getting more n more confusing as the story progresses and its endless barrage of exposition crosses that fine line after which you just don't care where it's headed and wait for it to end.While the storytelling aspect suffers from multitudes of issues, the technical aspects make the ride a little less frustrating. Set pieces are meticulously detailed, camera-work is fluid and captures each moment in a clear, concise fashion, and Hans Zimmer further enriches everything with an excellent score. Editing, however, is messed up and is unable to provide the level of transparency the picture required.Coming to the acting department, the film features an impressive ensemble in Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno & Paul Bettany but their respective characters lack the required depth. Hanks is in as Robert Langdon and is surprisingly wooden in the role, Tautou is often clueless & confused, not to mention that there's virtually no chemistry between the two. And the only good performance comes from McKellen.On an overall scale, The Da Vinci Code garnered as much controversy as its source material at its time of release but it's one overlong, boring & bewildering conspiracy theory that isn't even worth the time or money. Whatever interest was generated within its first act goes out the window in the next, following which the story heads into the pretentious zone and unleashes one laughable twist after another before finally concluding on an unrewarding & forgettable note.

A murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years -- which could shake the foundations of Christianity. Although i haven't read the book i found "The Da Vinci Code" movie to be very interesting as a concept and i loved the mystery that was surrounded by but also how it tried to seek the truth threw out the History of Christianity plus Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany did a great job and the soundtrack also fit well with the story of the film. Overall this is a movie that indeed stayed away from the book but that doesn't mean that it's a bad film. (8.5/10)

With the upcoming release of the new Ron Howard-Tom Hanks thriller INFERNO Sony has chosen to re-release their first two original outings together with the Dan Brown character of Robert Langdon. It's a good thing to as some may have forgotten how great those two movies were. Not only that but it makes a great excuse for upgrading from the old DVD to blu-ray formats. And of those fortunate enough to have upgraded to the new 4k format it is available that way as well.But let's go back to the beginning with this, the first film. Hanks stars as Langdon, a professor of religious iconology and symbology, a less action prone Indiana Jones. While lecturing in Paris he is called upon by Captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) to help in the investigation of a murdered curator at The Louvre, Jacques Sauniere. Langdon was supposed to have met with the man but failed to do so. Now he stands over the man's body looking at clues put in place by the man as he was dying.As he interprets the clues for the captain another officer, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) arrives with information. She loans Langdon her cell phone and tells him to call a specific number. When he does, he gets a recording made by Sophie telling him that he is about to be arrested for the murder and to go to the men's room. She aids him in escaping and off they go with the police in pursuit.It turns out Sophie was the granddaughter of the deceased and believes a message he left behind with Langdon's name on it wasn't a clue to the name of his murderer but one to lead her to seek his help. Using the clues left behind by Sauniere they discover that he was a member of a secret society known as the Priory of Sion whose duty was to protect the Holy Grail. With not only the police but a separate secret society, an outlaw sect of the Catholic Church, they must not only clear Langdon's name but find the real murderer and save the grail at the same time. But just exactly what is the grail? What we have here is a well thought out mystery that takes the time to offer clues to its solution from start to finish. As I said earlier the character of Langdon is a sort of Indiana Jones figure, a scholar with an overwhelming sense of wonder at all things in his field. The look of amazement on Hank's face as Langdon when he is presented with various items, paintings, symbols and more throughout shows the love and respect the character has for each. It is a subtle display that shows why Hanks is one of the best actors in the business.The movie progresses at an even keel combining moments with a sense of urgency beside others that show the thought process going on as Hanks and Tatou attempt to solve the puzzle with each clue moving them forward to yet another. This is author Dan Brown's method on display, telling us not just what is happening in the here and now but how it relates to history as well. While my guess would be there is some narrative license being used at moments, much of the history told is well researched and solid. This makes the movie not only a thriller that holds you in its grip but one that fills you full of history and information at the same time.In watching the film I was amazed at just how well it was done. Howard has pulled together some of the most talented people in the business behind the scenes as well as on screen to present a compelling story that grabs the viewer by the throat and never lets go until the final credits roll. You never want to turn from the screen for fear of missing out on something. Even ten years later and two viewings in the past I still found myself fascinated. The film remains gorgeous to look at and entertaining to the extreme.If you've never seen the movie then by all means buy a copy today. You'll find it one of the best movies made in some time as well as one of the greatest thrillers around. And if you pick this one and its sequel ANGELS & DEMONS up soon you'll have time to get caught up in the story of Langdon before the next movie comes out. It will be time well spent.

First of all i don't believe in any of those things whatsoever because its all religious propaganda like always to make us believe that there's a higher being out there (?) The only movie I've seen so far about the whole holy grail thing that i actually like (and yes people face it) its Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade besides not believing in it One of the things i hate about people its that they are willing to believe in these things instead of face reality giving credit to nothing i remember a quote from a movie (i cant remember which) that says "Yeah right if you succeed in something yeah right sure THANK GOD now if that thing goes wrong its the DEVILS fault" Honestly do you except me to believe this? If you succeed getting a job you say "thank god for this" so you did nothing? Its zero effort for ya the thing about god its the same thing that applies for "asking help to others" and its simple: NONE GIVES YOU ANYTHING IF YA WANT IT GET IT YOURSELF BECAUSE NONE IS GOING TO HELP YOU NOT GOD NOT ANYONE and if ya want to give "God" a meaning, an explanation, fine from another movie i give you this "Gosd its just a child playing with an ant farm ain't doin nothing for mankind"By the way my family is catholic jeje