Note: I had intended to, and thought this was going in the Lavender Room, where it belongs. Sorry- I put it in the wrong place.
I did not read the book. I had little interest in the subject matter. I may read it now, time permitting.
Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller *The DaVinci Code *is a great popcorn chomper with an awful script and screenplay. It is great directorship (Howard) and awful screen writing. The musical score from *Gladiator *and *Blackhawk Down *composer Hans Zimmer is very good. The photography and scenes are excellent… just excellent. The acting is as good as it can be when the characters are delivering ridiculous lines.
It’s amazing that the movie would likely be better if all the dialogue were simply removed. I read that audiences in Cannes actually broke into laughter at some of the corny lines, and I see why. The writing is truly awful.
Bad script notwithstanding, I really enjoyed the movie because it is an original-ish story and concept. The credit for that goes to Dan Brown, the novel’s author. The screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, has a short list of other crappy efforts to call on and the destruction of *The DaVinci Code *is another disaster.
I say see the movie, but the lines are so rotten it is pretty darn disappointing.
i found it fantastically boring, save for ian mckellen’s performance; he played teabing terrifically.
i read and actually enjoy the book, but for the last chapter (so much for a strong woman character), and present the movie as yet another example of why books remain superior to their filmed adaptations.//d
I read the book and will likely see the movie when it comes out on video. THe book was a “page-turner” to be sure, but I seem to recall that there was not great dialogue in that either. I love your idea of having the film without dialogue. BRILLIANT!!!
I echo what somebody else says about the ending. It was pretty disappointing. It was almost like Dan Brown consulted with John Grisham on how to “bring it altogether.” Maybe I was just asking too much.
I agree, pretty poor IMHO. From all of the hype with the book and the plagiarism trial and the catholics and albions making such an uproar I thought it would be a bit something more than it was. I think I had all of the plot twists, if you can call them that pegged about 10 minutes before they revealed them in the movie.
My suggestion, if you haven’t seen it, dom’t bother wait for it on video. I’m sure it will hit DVD in about a month.
The movie sounds like the book: Completely plot-driven. Great plot and a fun read, but the book is poorly written. Lots of unrealistic dialogue and unweildy sentences with all sorts of adjectives.
The book is great for what it is. A real page turner. I read it in a day. I actually thought Ian McKellan was crap in the role of Teabing. It could have been played on a much more sinister/obsessed with the ‘grail’ level.
I actually really enjoyed the movie too. Audrey Tatou needs to marry me. hottest woman in movies bar none. Only Scarlett Johansen gets close. As for the ending…ummm what did you expect? Some kinda ‘independence day’ style ending where the world is saved from religious tenents?
I agree, pretty poor IMHO. From all of the hype with the book and the plagiarism trial and the catholics and albions making such an uproar I thought it would be a bit something more than it was. I think I had all of the plot twists, if you can call them that pegged about 10 minutes before they revealed them in the movie.
My suggestion, if you haven’t seen it, dom’t bother wait for it on video. I’m sure it will hit DVD in about a month.
So you had read the book before you saw the movie huh?
The book was okay as long as your goal is reading something mildly entertaining insted of reading great literature. The true identity of the villain was fairly obvious, but probably because I have read enough mysteries to know the rules for figuring this out. He has the unusual technique of using really short chapters to speed the story along.
My only comment about the truth of matters in the book is that the earlier book (Angels and Demons) explains how the professor, a lifelong swimmer and star intramural water polo player, would keep in shape by swimming 50 laps every single day in the Harvard pool. 50 whole laps! Can you believe it? I took 18 years off after swimming seriously, have averaged less than one swim per week for the last 2 years and could swim 50 laps in a lot less than 20 minutes without breathing hard. But, you shouldn’t treat a work of mildly entertaining fiction as a serious academic work.
