Decoding DaVinci

Starring Tom Hanks,Audrey Tatou, Ian McKellen
Directed by Ron Howard

-- reviewed by Courtney Bowerman

In many ways, the movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is very similar to the movie National Treasure.  Both involve a “treasure hunt” and hidden secrets in history.  The difference between the two is that Da Vinci has a darker plot involving conspiracies and a war between two religious sects: those that stand for the truth, and those that are trying keep it a secret at all costs.

For those that haven’t read the book, the movie takes place in Paris, where the curator of the Louvre Museum was found murdered in the gallery of Da Vinci’s paintings.  Professor Michael Langdon (played by Tom Hanks), who was supposed to meet with the curator, finds himself wrongfully accused for the murder after his name is mentioned in the victim’s grisly final message.

However, nothing is as it seems.  The murder is actually one of many events leading up to what could possibly the world’s biggest cover up.  Langdon teams up with the late curator’s granddaughter (Audrey Tautou) to clear his name and get to the bottom of everything before the secret is destroyed.

Originally, I never planned to see The Da Vinci Code.  Up until now, I had never read the book, although I heard a great deal of praise about it.  The mixed reviews of the movie had also made me hesitant.  But as the controversy—not to mention the money gained at the box office—grew, my curiosity got the better of me.

While the film is very dark and at times confusing, its many twists and turns make it suspenseful and exciting.  It also has many interesting concepts.  I cannot go into a lot of detail without giving anything away, but I will say that if Ron Howard and Dan Brown’s intention was to make me think, they did a good job.  It’s not that I actually think the plot is possible, but I’m not as close-minded to claim that the movie is a blasphemy to Catholicism.  Then again, the people protesting it are probably the same ones that think Harry Potter promotes Satanism.  Honestly, it’s a work of fiction—people should treat it as such.

The cinematography is well done; the film repeatedly flashes back to not only events in the character’s complex lives, but also famous historic events to explain the history of the sects.  Interestingly enough, the sects are real, at least according to Brown.  The performances are also good.  Hanks once again proves that he’s a very talented actor.  Paul Bettany stands out at the albino monk/assassin, Silas, who is quite possibly the creepiest piece of work I have ever seen in a movie.

Towards the end of the film, Hanks’ character has a speech that makes not-so-subtle references to the controversy of the movie: “What matters is what you believe.”  Personally, I do understand why the story offends a lot of people.  However, I don’t think that it deserves the ridiculous backlash that has spawned works of protestation like The Da Vinci Deception.  It doesn’t matter what one story may imply: you are in charge of whatever you believe in. 

Ironically, badmouthing it only increased the fascination with the movie and novel, which consequently resulted in it being the number one movie in the world.  My advice is to see it for yourselves and make your own judgment—only if you want to.

If you want to see more of my thoughts about the film and controversy, visit my blog at http://spartanchic.blogspot.com