Starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellan, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, and Paul Bettany
Written by Akiva Goldsman
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Akiva Goldsman
Directed by Ron Howard
Having never read the bestselling book, I went into this knowing nothing about it. Maybe it worked as a book, but as a movie, The Da Vinci Code was an utterly unexciting "thriller" featuring a lukewarm performance by Tom Hanks and by-the-book direction by Ron Howard. It's like an adult Indiana Jones minus the action, humor, and fun.
The whole movie just seems to be Hanks' symbolologist Robert Langdon explaining things (I'm sure there's some scientific name for someone that studies symbols, but I'm not looking into it). He's either explaining them quickly to French police officer Sophie Neveu (a cute, but bland Audrey Tautou), or he's interpreting them lengthily via poorly constructed and directed "flashback" expository scenes. When he's not expounding upon religious relics, Langdon's figuring out puzzles. Puzzles are fun...watching people solve puzzles isn't. While Langdon tries to solve an anagram, director Howard has letters "light up" so we're seeing them as Langdon does. Honestly, I'm not really sure how else Howard could have accomplished this visually, but it just seemed silly.
The dialogue is silly too...clunky and basic. And for a plot that's incredibly convoluted, I expected more than Hanks explaining something by saying "That is that." That line was literally an explanation after the discovery of something. Really? "That is that?" Then again, anything longer would have caused the flick to go over its already ungodly 2 1/2 hour running time.
Admittedly, the film got a little more interesting (and exciting) once they happened upon Ian McKellan's character who explains the film's huge controversy -- that Christ had a daughter with Mary Magdalene and that members of the Catholic Church are now killing descendants of Christ to continue to cover up this secret. Like I said, not having read the book, the twists that occurred in the last hour were certainly a little surprising to me, but it still is much too "talky" to be taut and exciting. Couple that with the interminable first 75 minutes and the film just can't maintain any sense of tension.
Honestly, Angels and Demons (which I'll be watching sometime soon) doesn't have to do a whole lot to be better than this.
The whole movie just seems to be Hanks' symbolologist Robert Langdon explaining things (I'm sure there's some scientific name for someone that studies symbols, but I'm not looking into it). He's either explaining them quickly to French police officer Sophie Neveu (a cute, but bland Audrey Tautou), or he's interpreting them lengthily via poorly constructed and directed "flashback" expository scenes. When he's not expounding upon religious relics, Langdon's figuring out puzzles. Puzzles are fun...watching people solve puzzles isn't. While Langdon tries to solve an anagram, director Howard has letters "light up" so we're seeing them as Langdon does. Honestly, I'm not really sure how else Howard could have accomplished this visually, but it just seemed silly.
The dialogue is silly too...clunky and basic. And for a plot that's incredibly convoluted, I expected more than Hanks explaining something by saying "That is that." That line was literally an explanation after the discovery of something. Really? "That is that?" Then again, anything longer would have caused the flick to go over its already ungodly 2 1/2 hour running time.
Admittedly, the film got a little more interesting (and exciting) once they happened upon Ian McKellan's character who explains the film's huge controversy -- that Christ had a daughter with Mary Magdalene and that members of the Catholic Church are now killing descendants of Christ to continue to cover up this secret. Like I said, not having read the book, the twists that occurred in the last hour were certainly a little surprising to me, but it still is much too "talky" to be taut and exciting. Couple that with the interminable first 75 minutes and the film just can't maintain any sense of tension.
Honestly, Angels and Demons (which I'll be watching sometime soon) doesn't have to do a whole lot to be better than this.
The RyMickey Rating: D+
Oh Audrey Tautou... I love you madly but even you couldn't get me to watch this movie.
ReplyDeleteShe's cute, Justin, I'll give you that.
ReplyDeleteHer role in this movie was just weak, though...not her fault...
That's because she's perfect. :-D
ReplyDeleteAlso. I'm rewatching Before Sunrise. You definitely should get on that...