THE DA VINCI CODE Film Review - 3/6/06

If the Catholic church seriously believes this piece of tosh will undermine Western civilisation I can only think that their faith isn't on very secure ground. After selling shedload's of the novel by Dan Brown (Workable thriller - Conspiracy - Yawn!!) Director Ron Howard makes a workman like film of the book with a different twist. A virtually unrecognisable Tom Hanks with Audrey Tautou in tow go on the run from French copper Jean Reno amidst a rather dire re-telling of the book. Fairly flat and with no tension at all we get Ian McKellen cropping up to lend support with the likes of Paul Bettany and Alfred Molina and even a cameo from Jurgen Prochnow. Vast swathes of the film are filled with turgid French speaking passages and Latin with no idea as to what's being said? This farce carries on for far too long then a couple of deft twists and we get a quick treatise on man and philosophy about 10 minutes from the end, a revelation and some meta-psychical mystery and then literally - the end. I really enjoyed the book - But really wasn't impressed with the film.