The Da Vinci Code
DVD released 2006
Running time: 2 hours and 29 minutes
Seemed like 2 hours and 15 minutes
5 out of 8 stars

Read the book. It's very entertaining, but it wraps up a little too easily, like a Hardy Boys' mystery. The movie comes across exactly the same way.

The Da Vinci Code is great for its discussion and relative believability of a religious mystery. As a religious skeptic, I loved the possibilities this story presents. Amie, on the other hand, contends Dogma presents the same arguments in a different form. It's all great fun. But when it's all said and done, this is just a murder mystery, with a Hardy Boys/Scooby Doo finish.

DVC is very dark. The first half of the movie is steeped in shadow, adding to the mysterious murder that starts the movie. Unfortunately, it's hard to make Audrey Tautou dark. Her unusually beautiful eyes and sprite-like face make it difficult to view her as a frightened heroine. Who was in charge of casting, anyway? Tom Hanks did not come across as an amateur detective, and Audrey Tautou was not a convincing cop. Of course, Ian McKellan stole the show, and pulled off his role flawlessly.

I have negatives and positives for Ron Howard. First, was he afraid of the reaction this movie would get from the religious community? He bends over backwards and almost apologizes for the ideas presented in the movie. He throws in several lines of dialogue that water down the theories. Come on, it's only a movie! On the other hand, he did a great job of telling the "back" stories of the characters in montages. Deftly edited, he was able to bring the viewer up to date without slowing down the pacing.

This was an action packed movie, like the book. But like the book, it's lightweight fare.