Movie night
I saw The Da Vinci Code last night. I missed a few moments early on when I dozed off, but I blame that on a long day that started at 4:30. Once I was awake and refreshed, the movie held my attention, but never came close to the pleasure of reading the book. It’s pretty to look at and Ian McKellen is fun as Sir Leigh, but that’s as positive as I can be. It seemed like Tom Hanks spent almost all his time on screen explaining stuff to Sophie. If you’ve read the novel you know that the unfolding of theories and clues is fun, and Dan Brown balances it with fast moving action. But here, from Tom Hanks’ mouth to Sophie’s ear, the theories just sound weird.
I remember Robert and Sophie in the novel partnering in solving the mysteries, like a Nick and Nora Charles duo, but Sophie seems diminished in the movie, and she lacks spark.
I’ve stayed away from the controversy over The Da Vinci Code’s take on the history of Christianity—it’s a work of fiction, so I believe it can be as goofy or outrageous as the author wants it to be.* And I don’t think the faithful have anything to fear from this sluggish movie version.*I also believe it’s important for readers to be able to evaluate the veracity of a book that plays around with history and religion. As a reality check, I recommend TRUTH AND FICTION IN THE DA VINCI CODE by Bart Ehrman.
Comments
Ha -- I fell asleep in the Da Vinci Code, too. The book is an awesome thriller; the movie probably only less so because we've all read the book by now.
Posted by: Andrea | June 15, 2006 02:34 PM
I think you're being kind, Andrea. We fell asleep because the movie is boring.
Posted by: Larry | June 15, 2006 02:41 PM