Review: The Da Vinci Code

I finally went to watch The Da Vinci Code early this week.

After reading about all the poor reviews for the movie, I really didn't go with any high expectations. Even then, I must say this movie was quite ordinary.

Despite having big name actors like Tom Hanks & Ian MacKellen (Magneto from X-men) and a big name director like Ron Howard, the movie never really takes off. The whole thing is just one long mediocre ride.

I dunno, but I'm guessing that this could be due in no small part to the fact that Ron Howard is just not an action/thriller director. There are parts here and there where he appears to be trying real hard to make things exciting, but it just doesn't work. For example, there was this car chase scene where they were driving backwards... sounds mildly exciting? Nah, it really wasn't very.

It could also be the subject matter. It's really kinda hard to do a movie without having to explain much of the religious significance of the symbols. But once you do that, the movie is bogged dowm by long periods of conversations and this just doesn't make for a very fast-paced movie.

The book was quite the page turner. If I remember correctly, the entire novel was basically a story told over a period of 2 days. The movie, however, was quite a yawner.

If you haven't read the book, do yourself a favour and read the book rather than watch the movie. If you've read the book, save the ticket money for Superman Returns.