My advice is not to see this movie until you've read the book. First of all, it is very difficult to take a novel of ideas and turn it into a visual screenplay. That being said, the writers of this script did an amazing job translating the novel to the screen. I guess what sticks in my craw the most is how they turned Robert Langdon (Hanks's character) into a semi-apologist for the church. This was clearly a political maneuver to placate the critics of the film. But say what you will, this novel (and ultimately the film) absolutely challenge the entire concept of modern christianity which is based upon the founding notion that Jesus was not a mortal man but God incarnate. It hits home and, assuming the viewer or reader isn't completely brain dead; it should open at least a miniscule sized peanut hole of doubt which is as exciting as it is disconcerting to the religiously devout.

And, coming away from the movie, there wasn't anything new that I didn't get from the book besides a few goosebump moments. One of these was in Teabing's home office and they were viewing DaVinci's The Last Supper painting, showing the religious iconography which effectively argued that Mary Magdalene was Jesus's wife and was pregnant with his child during the time of the crucifixion, snuck out of Jerusalem and fled to Saxon (France).

The second moment was when Langdon was standing in front of Isaac Newton's tomb and the CGI orbs were flying all around his head and he was breaking the apple code. I think the movie did an excellent job of taking the painstaking logical steps of breaking these codes in the book and turning them into a visual process that the viewer could understand if not enjoy in the movie.

The final goosebump moment is when Langdon says the words, "You are the last living descendent of Jesus Christ." I don't care who you are, that's powerful stuff to think about.

Ultimately, the DaVinci code (book and movie) demands of us that we think about our relationship with divinity--if we cannot be like Jesus, then what's the point of the whole thing? To live life worshipping an idea, a creed, a dusty old book with laws and high flying concepts of brotherly love? To me, that's worse than slavery because at least the slave master is real. Addiction and subversion to an idea is the behavior of the lowest that lies in the heart and mind of man.

And the star, of course, was Ian Mckellan who played the part of the anti-church dude a little too well (McKellan, an open homosexual is known for his inflammatory statements about the church's bigotry and tunnel vision towards homosexuals) but he is the shining star in this movie.

Again, I highly recommend the movie if you've read the book because if you haven't, it will most likely seem a little dry.



LINKS:
It looks like Angels & Demons is coming next
TDC hits $224 million in sales for it's opening weekend

TAGS:
Da Vinci Code, dan brown, books, Film, Movies