The Da Vinci Code

Starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno

Rated PG-13

“The Da Vinci Code” has received more unnecessary protests than “Brokeback Mountain,” and, lately, a wide collection of negative reviews from critics viewing the movie for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival. But despite dragging on for too long and an uncommonly strange Tom Hanks performance, “The Da Vinci Code” is actually not a bad movie, and manages to entertain the viewer with its web of mysteries and codes. I have not read Dan Brown’s bestselling novel of the same name, but rumor has it the movie does not live up to the book. Whatever the case, the film is still a victory for director Ron Howard, following last summer’s even better “Cinderella Man.” It is also a major improvement in quality over “Poseidon,” one of the film’s main competitors at the summer box office. 

Symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks), while giving a lecture on religious symbols in France, is summoned by Captain Fache (Jean Reno) to the Louvre in Paris, where a man Langdon knew has just been murdered. There Langdon meets Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), the granddaughter of the slain man, who suggests that Langdon and her escape immediately, for Langdon is in grave danger. Apparently, the clues that the corpse left behind lead to more than the identity of his murderer; they lead to the greatest secret in human history. As Langdon and Sophie flee from Fache and the French police, as well as a murderous sect of the Catholic Church called Opus Dei, they learn of buried secrets involving the Knights Templar, Leonardo Da Vinci’s paintings, and The Holy Grail itself.

When they finally contact Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), Langdon’s contact with a rich knowledge of religious history, Teabing explains that a select society was formed to protect the secret that could destroy Christianity – that Jesus Christ had a child with Mary Magdalene. Opus Dei is determined, at all costs, to keep that secret buried, and therefore they kill anyone with the knowledge of the secret or anyone who could be the actual descendents of Jesus Christ.

Langdon and Sophie continue their journey back and forth across Europe, using the clues of history to unveil the truth, all while trying to avoid the albino monk Silas (Paul Bettany), a self-torturing assassin for Opus Dei. Howard keeps the pace exciting until the very end, where scenes begin to drag on longer than necessary.

Hanks is good, but not great – there are a few scenes where his lines hit the wrong note and sound almost sarcastic in tone. But otherwise, “The Da Vinci Code” doesn’t make many errors – the film is certainly not boring as many critics have labeled it. Even if it’s not a masterpiece, “The Da Vinci Code” is still worthy of being the year’s first major blockbuster.

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