The Da Vinci Code-2006
Director Ron Howard
Starring Tom Hanks
Scott’s Review #1,223
Reviewed January 23, 2022
Grade: B+
Based on the best-selling 2003 novel written by Dan Brown, Ron Howard directs the film version of The Da Vinci Code (2006).
Since I haven’t read the novel at this writing, I cannot give a fully fair assessment from a comparative perspective, but my hunch is that the book is superior to the film.
Isn’t it usually?
The film is entertainment personified, and Howard wisely casts a big name like Tom Hanks to draw audiences to the theaters.
It’s a slick and adventurous thrill ride, which is all well and good, but it’s also a type of film you can see once, enjoy for what it is, and never need to see again.
The most fun is the controversy the film, like the book, encountered.
It was met with especially harsh criticism by the Catholic Church for the accusation that it is behind a two-thousand-year-old cover-up concerning what the Holy Grail is, the concept that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married, and that the union produced a daughter.
So, those who are sensitive or uptight about religion may want to skip the film and the novel.
But this is Hollywood, after all, and Howard and Hanks do what they do best. They create and produce a fun, solid, blockbuster flick.
When the curator of the Louvre is found murdered in the famed museum’s hallowed halls, Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and cryptographer Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) must untangle a deadly web of deceit involving the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
The most enjoyable parts are the locales and the focus on art.
The famous Louvre in Paris, France, permitted filming of relevant scenes at its premises. Still, only a replica of the Mona Lisa was used during filming, as the crew was not allowed to illuminate the original work with their lighting.
The Westminster Abbey scenes were instead filmed at Lincoln and Winchester cathedrals.
The Parisian nightlife is gorgeous and murky in its depiction, and a generous number of sequences are shot throughout the United Kingdom, with Scotland and England receiving the most representation.
So, while strict limitations were harbored, there is an international flavor to The Da Vinci Code that works wonderfully, especially for those who have traveled to those locations.
For art lovers, particularly of da Vinci himself, there is a satisfying respect for the art. I always try to improve my art knowledge, so this film is helpful for me and for novice art fans to educate themselves and learn more about the subject.
Hanks, as usual, carries the film in his steady-Freddy approach.
While not as compelling as his roles in either Philadelphia (1993) or Forrest Gump (1994), the actor can convey his suspicious plight and the need and desire to solve the complex puzzle.
Audiences will follow suit.
The Da Vinci Code (2006) was riddled with bad reviews and jests mostly at its ridiculous plot and absurd story. While there is a grain of truth to this, I found the film enjoyable entertainment, and that’s all I expected out of it.
The film pleases and satisfies if not taken too seriously.
