The Da Vinci Code, a controversial book by Dan Brown, has been a best seller around the world for several years. I had heard some things about the book before I finally got it a few years ago. I enjoyed the book when I read it and wanted to see the movie version when I heard it was being made. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the movie for a long time now. I wasn’t able to go as soon as I had really wanted to, but I did see it.

I am going to make this review as spoiler free as possible even though I know that many people probably already know a bit about what is in the book, either from having read it themselves or from all the publicity the book has received. Even though The Da Vinci Code has been very popular, there are still people who haven’t read the book and I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone reading that hasn’t heard the spoilers elsewhere.

Robert Langdon was in Paris to give a lecture on religious symbols and do a book signing. He was surprised when a police officer arrived saying they needed his assistance at the scene of a murder. Jacques Sauniere had been shot inside the Louvre by a monk named Silas. He had wanted information from Jacques and was doing the bidding of someone who called himself the Teacher. Before he died, Jacques was able to leave behind some very strange messages in the Louvre. Captain Bezu Fache, the man in charge of the investigation, seemed to think that the messages should mean something to Robert. Captain Fache was certain that Robert was guilty. Robert managed to get away with the help of Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist for the police and Jacques’s granddaughter. Sophie was sure that Robert wasn’t guilty and wanted to help him. He was able to figure out codes that Jacques left that seemed to indicate that he had been protecting something very important that someone was willing to kill to get. Robert and Sophie had to work together to decipher more codes left behind by Jacques to uncover the secret before Silas did. Robert ended up seeking help from Sir Leigh Teabing, a scholar that Robert believed would have some helpful information.

Many books have been turned into movies. Anytime that happens, things from the book are going to be changed for the movie. For some, only a few small things were changed. Others have had so many changes that the story no longer resembles the source material. I have seen many movies based on books and have enjoyed several of them. I have wondered what would be changed from the book for The Da Vinci Code. It has been long enough since I read the book that I don’t remember every thing. I do remember enough to know that the movie stayed very close to the book. I noticed a few small things that were changed that didn’t change the overall story. I did wonder about why one or two small things were changed, but I wasn’t upset about the changes. Some information that was shared in the book was missing from the movie. Things in the movie still made sense without the missing information. In the book, there were a few brief mentions of something that Robert had gown through the year before. Those things were covered in another Dan Brown book featuring Robert, Angels & Demons. Nothing about those things was mentioned in the movie. Also in the book, there was an attraction between Robert and Sophie that wasn’t included in the movie. I wasn’t bothered by the things that were left out. Some information, like about a few events in Sophie’s past, where shared through flashbacks. It was always clear they were flashbacks because the coloring of those scenes was a bit different. Some special effects were used in a few scenes as a way to illustrate how Robert would remember things and figure out some of the codes.

Robert and Sophie were thrown into a situation that ultimately put them in danger more than once. Robert was in Paris to give a lecture and do publicity for a new book. He really didn’t know what was going on when the police interrupted his book signing. He was able to think quick on his feet, which helped him and Sophie in many situations. They had to solve several codes in their quest to uncover what Jacques had been protecting. The quest added mystery to the movie and there was a bit of suspense in a few scenes. The movie moved along fairly quickly through several scenes and then the pace did slow down a bit for some of the explanations. I didn’t think there was as much of a sense of urgency in the movie as there was in the book. Jacques wasn’t the only person killed during the movie and some of the deaths were shown which did add some violence to the movie. The violence wasn’t as graphic as it has been in some other movies, but it could be too graphic for some viewers. A few scenes involving Silas and something he did as part of his faith were disturbing to see. The movie was rated PG-13 and really isn’t one for younger children to see.

Since the book was first published, there has been a lot of controversy connected to it and the things that Robert and Sophie discover. As the release date of the movie got closer, there have been people protesting against it around the world. The plot hinges on a secret that the Catholic Church wanted to prevent from ever being shared with the world. There were a few characters that believed if the secret was shared, it would destroy the Catholic Church. Silas, the monk that was killing to find the secret, belonged to Opus Dei, a very strict religious group that was connected to the Catholic Church. Opus Dei is a real organization and there have been members who have been upset about that aspect of the book and the way it portrayed them. Neither the book nor the movie said that Opus Dei as a whole was evil or corrupt in any way. Silas was one man who just happened to be a member of Opus Dei. His very deep faith caused him to do things that he believed would help the church. I didn’t feel like the book or movie was trying to portray the entire Catholic Church as evil. Some members of the Church made questionable decisions, but that doesn’t mean the whole Church was evil. I thought the questions that were raised were intriguing and interesting. Some people, especially if they are very religious, may not like how the characters question things related to religion.

The Da Vinci Code took place mainly in and around Paris. Robert was in the city for his work when he was pulled into the investigation. The world famous Louvre museum became a crime scene when Jacques was killed there. The movie was actually allowed to film there and I did enjoy those scenes. I wouldn’t have minded seeing a bit more of the museum, but that really wouldn’t have worked with the plot. A lot of the movie took place at night, so it was hard to make out much of the scenery when Sophie and Robert were racing through the streets in her very tiny car. That car looked really strange to me. A little bit of the French countryside was in a few scenes. What was shown was beautiful. Some of the movie was set in London as well and a few well-known locations were shown there too.

Everything happened over a fairly short amount of time in The Da Vinci Code, so there really wasn’t a lot of character development. That didn’t bother me since I thought that the plot was interesting. There had been more character development in the book. Robert was the main character in the movie like he was in the book. He was a professor from Harvard that was in London to give a lecture about religious symbols and do publicity for a book he’d written. He was an intelligent man that had a knack for solving codes. He wasn’t happy about the situation he was pulled into, but he ended up helping Sophie even though it put him in danger. Tom Hanks really wasn’t how I imagined the character when I read the book, but I think he was fine in the part. He was believable as a man that used his intelligence to get out of dangerous situations. I have seen several other movies he’s been in, including The Terminal and The Polar Express.

Sophie Neveu was the other main character in both the book and the movie. She worked in cryptology for the police and Jacques was her grandfather. She hadn’t seen or spoken with him for a while before his death, but she was determined to figure out why he had been killed. She was an intelligent woman that didn’t fully understand the situation she was in. Audrey Tautou was really good and believable in the part. I’m glad that the decision was made to cast a French woman in the part since Sophie was French. Bezu Fache was the man in charge of investigating the murder. He had Robert brought to the scene on the pretense of helping with the codes. In reality, Fache had already decided that Robert was guilty and was set on making him confess. He was very controlling of the investigation. Jean Reno was good in the part. Earlier this year, he played a more light hearted part in The Pink Panther with Steve Martin.

Silas was a monk with Opus Dei. He was very devout and did some disturbing things as part of his faith. He was creepy looking and menacing with violent tendencies. He fully believed that what he was doing would ultimately be good for the Church. Paul Bettany was wonderful in the part. I’ve only seen him in a few movies before, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Firewall, and this part was completly different from either of those. He made one of the most effective movie villains I think I’ve ever seen. Silas thought a lot of Bishop Aringarosa and had even helped him in the past when someone tried to rob the church. The Bishop also did some questionable things in the name of his faith. I think he more fully understood the implications of what he was doing than Silas did. Alfred Molina didn’t have as many scenes as some of the others, but he handled the part well. I also enjoyed his performance in Spider-Man 2.

Sir Leigh Teabing and Robert had known each other for a long time. Leigh was from England but had a huge estate in France. He was an expert on certain religious ideas and had knowledge that helped Robert and Sophie. Leigh was willing to help even though it meant he could end up in trouble with the police. Ian McKellan was absolutely perfect in the part. I thought that from the first time I heard that he had the part. He really fit the character. I’ve seen him in many movies, including the X-Men and The Lord of the Rings movies and have enjoyed his performance in all of them. Jacques Sauniere was a minor character that set much of the plot in motion. Not too much was shared about him since he was killed within the first few minutes of the movie, though a little more of him was shared later through a few flashbacks. Jean-Pierre Marielle was fine in the part.


Main Cast

Paul Bettany - Silas
Tom Hanks - Robert Langdon
Ian McKellan - Sir Leigh Teabing
Jean-Pierre Marielle - Jacques Sauniere
Alfred Molina - Bishop Aringarosa
Jean Reno - Bezu Fache
Audrey Tautou - Sophie Neveu

Ron Howard - Director

I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and thought it was a good adaptation of the book. It does deal with something related to the Catholic faith that many people find upsetting. People should keep that in mind when deciding if they want to see the movie. They should also remember that this is a movie based on a fiction book. People that enjoyed the book or Angels & Demons may also enjoy this movie. Fans of the cast should give the movie a chance.

Reviews of Books Featuring Robert Langdon
Angels & Demons ~ Angels & Demons (Movie) ~ The Da Vinci Code (Book) ~ The Lost Symbol ~

Ian McKellan Movie Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ~ X-Men ~ X2: X-Men United ~ X-Men: The Last Stand ~


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older