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They say The Da Vinci Code has sold more copies than any book since the Bible. Good thing it has a different ending. Dan Brown 's novel is utterly preposterous; Ron Howard 's movie is preposterously entertaining. Both contain accusations against the Catholic Church and its order of Opus Dei that would be scandalous if anyone of sound mind could possibly entertain them. I know there are people who believe Brown's fantasies about the Holy Grail, the descendants of Jesus, the Knights Templar, Opus Dei and the true story of Mary Magdalene. This has the advantage of distracting them from the theory that the Pentagon was not hit by an airplane.

Let us begin, then, by agreeing that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. And that since everyone has read the novel, I need only give away one secret -- that the movie follows the book religiously. While the book is a potboiler written with little grace and style, it does supply an intriguing plot. Luckily, Ron Howard is a better filmmaker than Dan Brown is a novelist; he follows Brown's formula (exotic location, startling revelation, desperate chase scene, repeat as needed) and elevates it into a superior entertainment, with Tom Hanks as a theo-intellectual Indiana Jones.

Hanks stars as Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist in Paris for a lecture when Inspector Fache ( Jean Reno ) informs him of the murder of museum curator Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle). This poor man has been shot and will die late at night inside the Louvre; his wounds, although mortal, fortunately leave him time enough to conceal a safe deposit key, strip himself, cover his body with symbols written in his own blood, arrange his body in a pose and within a design by Da Vinci, and write out, also in blood, an encrypted message, a scrambled numerical sequence and a footnote to Sophie Neveu ( Audrey Tautou ), the pretty French policewoman whom he raised after the death of her parents. Most people are content with a dying word or two; Jacques leaves us with a film treatment.

Having read the novel, we know what happens then. Sophie warns Robert he is in danger from Fache, and they elude capture in the Louvre and set off on a quest that leads them to the vault of a private bank, to the French villa of Sir Leigh Teabing ( Ian McKellen ), to the Temple Church in London, to an isolated Templar church in the British countryside, to a hidden crypt and then back to the Louvre again. The police, both French and British, are one step behind them all of this time, but Sophie and Robert are facile, inventive and daring. Also, perhaps, they have God on their side.

This series of chases, discoveries and escapes is intercut with another story, involving an albino named Silas ( Paul Bettany ), who works under the command of the Teacher, a mysterious figure at the center of a conspiracy to conceal the location of the Holy Grail, what it really is, and what that implies. The conspiracy involves members of Opus Dei, a society of Catholics who in real life (I learn from a recent issue of the Spectator) are rather conventionally devout and prayerful. Although the movie describes their practices as "maso-chastity," not all of them are chaste and hardly any practice self-flagellation. In the months ahead, I would advise Opus Dei to carefully scrutinize membership applications.

Opus Dei works within but not with the church, which also harbors a secret cell of cardinals who are in on the conspiracy (the pope and most other Catholics apparently don't have backstage passes).

These men keep a secret that, if known, could destroy the church. That's why they keep it. If I were their adviser, I would point out that by preserving the secret, they preserve the threat to the church, and the wisest strategy would have been to destroy the secret, say, 1,000 years ago.

But one of the fascinations of the Catholic Church is that it is the oldest continuously surviving organization in the world, and that's why movies like "The Da Vinci Code" are more fascinating than thrillers about religions founded, for example, by a science-fiction author in the 1950s. All of the places in "The Da Vinci Code" really exist, though the last time I visited the Temple Church I was disappointed to find it closed for "repairs." A likely story.

Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno do a good job of not overplaying their roles, and Sir Ian McKellen overplays his in just the right way, making Sir Leigh into a fanatic whose study just happens to contain all the materials for an audio-visual presentation that briefs his visitors on the secrets of Da Vinci's " The Last Supper " and other matters. Apparently he keeps in close touch with other initiates. On the one hand, we have a conspiracy that lasts 2,000 years and threatens the very foundations of Christianity, and on the other hand a network of rich dilettantes who resemble a theological branch of the Baker Street Irregulars.

Yes, the plot is absurd, but then most movie plots are absurd. That's what we pay to see. What Ron Howard brings to the material is tone and style, and an aura of mystery that is undeniable. He begins right at the top; Columbia Pictures logo falls into shadow as Hans Zimmer's music sounds simultaneously liturgical and ominous. The murder scene in the Louvre is creepy in a ritualistic way, and it's clever the way Langdon is able to look at letters, numbers and symbols and mentally rearrange them to yield their secrets. He's like the Flora Cross character in " Bee Season ," who used kabbalistic magic to visualize spelling words floating before her in the air.

The movie works; it's involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations. After it's over and we're back on the street, we wonder why this crucial secret needed to be protected by the equivalent of a brain-twister puzzle crossed with a scavenger hunt. The trail that Robert and Sophie follow is so difficult and convoluted that it seems impossible that anyone, including them, could ever follow it. The secret needs to be protected up to a point; beyond that it is absolutely lost, and the whole point of protecting it is beside the point. Here's another question: Considering where the trail begins, isn't it sort of curious where it leads? Still, as T.S. Eliot wrote, "In my beginning is my end." Maybe he was on to something.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content

149 minutes

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon

Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu

Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing

Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa

Jurgen Prochnow as Andre Vernet

Paul Bettany as Silas

Jean Reno as Bezu Fache

Jean Pierre Marielle as Jacques Sauniere

Etienne Chicot as Lt. Collet

Directed by

Akiva Goldsman

Based on the novel by

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The Da Vinci Code Reviews

The filmmakers were so concerned about doing justice to the book’s ideas that they forgot there’s an audience to entertain.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 5, 2023

The Da Vinci Code jumps from remarkable location to remarkable location without generating memorable images or dramatic moments in a single one of them. It all becomes a blur.

Full Review | Feb 14, 2021

It is foremost moviegoing entertainment - and only secondarily a condemnation of religious fanaticism.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 18, 2020

Unwieldy scripting has the usually nimble Hanks tied down by tonnes of tongue-twisting expository dialogue.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | May 8, 2020

Exaggerated and absurd at all levels. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Feb 12, 2020

An entertaining thriller with a solid cast and some genuinely intriguing moments.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 19, 2019

The failures of Howard's performance does not ruin an unstoppable entertainment that does not give rest and that takes the viewer on a journey in perpetual motion. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 31, 2019

They haven't tried to enrich the story, or to give more nuances to the characters, or to increase the adventure and the thriller. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jun 28, 2019

The book was better.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2019

About as suspenseful and involving an affair as sitting through a two-and-a-half hour college lecture on cryptology, with a Sunday sermon thrown in for good measure.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Nov 2, 2018

By the end, the film degenerates into wishy-washy relativism of the school that says "the only thing that matters is what you believe", a real cop-out after the hectic Grail quest preceding it.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2017

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Feb 9, 2011

The exposition is actually the best and most valuable part of the film

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 15, 2009

Too meekly middlebrow to really affront

Full Review | Aug 30, 2009

What seems credible on page is ludicrous in action.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | May 14, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 7, 2008

So intent on being faithful, The DaVinci Code forgets to be entertaining.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Feb 28, 2008

Any movie with a skulking albino assassin begs for campy, self-aware treatment, but Howard and scripter Akiva Goldsman serve it all up straight-faced.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Jul 29, 2007

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 14, 2007

Who knows whether Dan Brown was motivated by a distaste for Catholicism or merely by money? Regardless, it seems dishonest for him to foist his debunked heresies on the gullible, unsuspecting public as if they're the God's honest truth.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/4 | May 20, 2007

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Movie Review

A 'Da Vinci Code' That Takes Longer to Watch Than Read

By A.O. Scott

May 18, 2006

CANNES, France, May 17 — It seems you can't open a movie these days without provoking some kind of culture war skirmish, at least in the conflict-hungry media. Recent history — "The Passion of the Christ," "The Chronicles of Narnia" — suggests that such controversy, especially if religion is involved, can be very good business. "The Da Vinci Code," Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling primer on how not to write an English sentence, arrives trailing more than its share of theological and historical disputation.

The arguments about the movie and the book that inspired it have not been going on for millennia — it only feels that way — but part of Columbia Pictures' ingenious marketing strategy has been to encourage months of debate and speculation while not allowing anyone to see the picture until the very last minute. Thus we have had a flood of think pieces on everything from Jesus and Mary Magdalene's prenuptial agreement to the secret recipes of Opus Dei, and vexed, urgent questions have been raised: Is Christianity a conspiracy? Is "The Da Vinci Code" a dangerous, anti-Christian hoax? What's up with Tom Hanks's hair?

Luckily I lack the learning to address the first two questions. As for the third, well, it's long, and so is the movie. "The Da Vinci Code," which opened the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, is one of the few screen versions of a book that may take longer to watch than to read. (Curiously enough Mr. Howard accomplished a similar feat with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" a few years back.)

To their credit the director and his screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman (who collaborated with Mr. Howard on "Cinderella Man" and "A Beautiful Mind"), have streamlined Mr. Brown's story and refrained from trying to capture his, um, prose style. "Almost inconceivably, the gun into which she was now staring was clutched in the pale hand of an enormous albino with long white hair." Such language — note the exquisite "almost" and the fastidious tucking of the "which" after the preposition — can live only on the page.

To be fair, though, Mr. Goldsman conjures up some pretty ripe dialogue all on his own. "Your God does not forgive murderers," Audrey Tautou hisses to Paul Bettany (who play a less than enormous, short-haired albino). "He burns them!"

Theology aside, this remark can serve as a reminder that "The Da Vinci Code" is above all a murder mystery. And as such, once it gets going, Mr. Howard's movie has its pleasures. He and Mr. Goldsman have deftly rearranged some elements of the plot (I'm going to be careful here not to spoil anything), unkinking a few over-elaborate twists and introducing others that keep the action moving along.

Hans Zimmer's appropriately overwrought score, pop-romantic with some liturgical decoration, glides us through scenes that might otherwise be talky and inert. The movie does, however, take a while to accelerate, popping the clutch and leaving rubber on the road as it tries to establish who is who, what they're doing and why.

Briefly stated: An old man (Jean-Pierre Marielle) is killed after hours in the Louvre, shot in the stomach, almost inconceivably, by a hooded assailant. Meanwhile Robert Langdon (Mr. Hanks), a professor of religious symbology at Harvard, is delivering a lecture and signing books for fans. He is summoned to the crime scene by Bezu Fache (Jean Reno), a French policemen who seems very grouchy, perhaps because his department has cut back on its shaving cream budget.

Soon Langdon is joined by Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer and also — Bezu Fache! — the murder victim's granddaughter. Grandpa, it seems, knew some very important secrets, which if they were ever revealed might shake the foundations of Western Christianity, in particular the Roman Catholic Church, one of whose bishops, the portly Aringarosa (Alfred Molina) is at this very moment flying on an airplane. Meanwhile the albino monk, whose name is Silas and who may be the first character in the history of motion pictures to speak Latin into a cellphone, flagellates himself, smashes the floor of a church and kills a nun.

A chase, as Bezu's American colleagues might put it, ensues. It skids through the nighttime streets of Paris and eventually to London the next morning, with side trips to a Roman castle and a chateau in the French countryside. Along the way the film pauses to admire various knickknacks and art works, and to flash back, in desaturated color, to traumatic events in the childhoods of various characters (Langdon falls down a well; Sophie's parents are killed in a car accident; Silas stabs his abusive father).

There are also glances further back into history, to Constantine's conversion, to the suppression of the Knights Templar and to that time in London when people walked around wearing powdered wigs.

Through it all Mr. Hanks and Ms. Tautou stand around looking puzzled, leaving their reservoirs of charm scrupulously untapped. Mr. Hanks twists his mouth in what appears to be an expression of professorial skepticism and otherwise coasts on his easy, subdued geniality. Ms. Tautou, determined to ensure that her name will never again come up in an Internet search for the word "gamine," affects a look of worried fatigue.

In spite of some talk (a good deal less than in the book) about the divine feminine, chalices and blades, and the spiritual power of sexual connection, not even a glimmer of eroticism flickers between the two stars. Perhaps it's just as well. When a cryptographer and a symbologist get together, it usually ends in tears.

But thank the deity of your choice for Ian McKellen, who shows up just in time to give "The Da Vinci Code" a jolt of mischievous life. He plays a wealthy and eccentric British scholar named Leigh Teabing. (I will give Mr. Brown this much: he's good at names. If I ever have twins or French poodles, I'm calling them Bezu and Teabing for sure.)

Hobbling around on two canes, growling at his manservant, Remy (Jean-Yves Berteloot), Teabing is twinkly and avuncular one moment, barking mad the next. Sir Ian, rattling on about Italian paintings and medieval statues, seems to be having the time of his life, and his high spirits serve as something of a rebuke to the filmmakers, who should be having and providing a lot more fun.

Teabing, who strolls out of English detective fiction by way of a Tintin comic, is a marvelously absurd creature, and Sir Ian, in the best tradition of British actors slumming and hamming through American movies, gives a performance in which high conviction is indistinguishable from high camp. A little more of this — a more acute sense of its own ridiculousness — would have given "The Da Vinci Code" some of the lightness of an old-fashioned, jet-setting Euro-thriller.

But of course movies of that ilk rarely deal with issues like the divinity of Jesus or the search for the Holy Grail. In the cinema such matters are best left to Monty Python. In any case Mr. Howard and Mr. Goldsman handle the supposedly provocative material in Mr. Brown's book with kid gloves, settling on an utterly safe set of conclusions about faith and its history, presented with the usual dull sententiousness.

So I certainly can't support any calls for boycotting or protesting this busy, trivial, inoffensive film. Which is not to say I'm recommending you go see it.

"The Da Vinci Code" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some violent killings and a few profanities.

The Da Vinci Code

Opens tomorrow worldwide.

Directed by Ron Howard; written by Akiva Goldsman, based on the novel by Dan Brown; director of photography, Salvatore Totino; edited by Dan Hanley and Mike Hill; music by Hans Zimmer; production designer, Allan Cameron; produced by Brian Grazer and John Calley; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 148 minutes.

WITH: Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon), Audrey Tautou (Sophie Neveu), Ian McKellen (Sir Leigh Teabing), Jürgen Prochnow (Vernet), Paul Bettany (Silas), Jean Reno (Bezu Fache) and Alfred Molina (Bishop Aringarosa).

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The da vinci code, common sense media reviewers.

Slow-moving, talky translation of popular novel.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

To protect a secret, characters kill, lie, rob, an

Langdon is resourceful and very intelligent; his d

Shooting murder opens the film; Silas whips and cu

Some famous paintings show women's naked body part

Some swearing, including French with subtitles ("s

Positive Messages

To protect a secret, characters kill, lie, rob, and injure -- while others are determined to uncover the truth. The movie's plot presumes upon long-standing, deep-seated cover ups among very important people.

Positive Role Models

Langdon is resourceful and very intelligent; his determination to uncover the truth never flags. But other characters are far less worth emulating, whether because they lie and betray others or because they purposely harm themselves.

Violence & Scariness

Shooting murder opens the film; Silas whips and cuts himself, showing blood and cringing/grimacing in pain; grainy flashback scenes repeatedly show violence (Crusades/knights, battles/armies, witch hunts/burnings, visualizing various narrations of "history"); personal flashbacks include Silas' abuse as a child, young Robert trapped in a well, and young Sophie crying/afraid in the harrowing car accident that killed her parents. General action includes shootings, fisticuffs, poisoning, kicks/slaps; Silas kills a nun by smashing her head; blood on shirts and faces.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Some famous paintings show women's naked body parts; Silas appears naked as he performs self-flagellation (you see only his backside and close-ups of limbs); discussion of gender roles includes mention of penises (emblem of "male aggression").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some swearing, including French with subtitles ("s--t," "bastard") and English ("Jesus," "hell").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Da Vinci Code opens with a brutal murder and includes several other bloody scenes, including a naked man beating himself. The subject matter is too convoluted to interest young kids, so unless you want to shush them, leave them home. A couple of characters use mild profanity, although most of the cursing shows up in French and in subtitles. Spoiler alert : The film's plot, based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel , suggests that the Catholic Church has for centuries repressed the "truth" that Jesus was human, married Mary Magdalene, and fathered a daughter. Some viewers may find the issues raised -- Jesus' divinity and the Church's cover-up -- upsetting. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (8)
Kids say (30)

Based on 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE DA VINCI CODE, world-renowned symbologist Dr. Robert Langdon ( Tom Hanks ) is called by Parisian policeman Capt. Fache ( Jean Reno ) to consult on a murder case, the scholar is briefly flattered, then daunted when he learns he is a suspect, owing to a note left by the victim. Along with the victim's granddaughter, cryptologist Sophie ( Audrey Tautou ), Langdon tries to decipher the message, which begins with the victim's arranging of his own body to approximate Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. "Symbols," says the doctor early on, "are a language that can help us understand our past." The film reveals various characters' pasts, including the murderer's (a self-flagellating albino Opus Dei monk named Silas [ Paul Bettany ]), Sophie's, Langdon's, and significant events in history. Robert and Sophie end up on a kind of scavenger hunt from Paris to London, and are tracked by Fache and aided by Robert's colleague, Sir Teabing ( Ian McKellen ), who claims to be thrilled to be on a "grail quest." The mystery involves a Catholic Church's cover-up -- for thousands of years -- concerning Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Is It Any Good?

Based on Dan Brown's bestseller , this movie is surprisingly unwieldy and conventional, despite and because of the controversy surrounding it. While The Da Vinci Code often looks like it's offering subjective views into Robert Langdon's mind, in effect these images are silly and slow. The special effects are unconvincing as paintings and sculptures move, and the explanatory voice-overs tend to repeat what's obvious.

For all the mystical blurring of edges, the film doesn't make smart connections between periods or characters, and it offers too much explanation and tedious literal flashbacks. The untangling of all the plot strands leads not to an interrogation of various institutions (academe, the cops, the Church), but to a pile-on of much less interesting personal pathologies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Da Vinci Code 's premise and the controversy it has inspired. How does the controversy help to promote the movie?

What's the appeal of conspiracy theories?

If you've read the book , how does the movie compare?

Movie Details

In theaters : May 19, 2006
On DVD or streaming : November 14, 2006
Cast : Audrey Tautou , Ian McKellen , Tom Hanks
Director : Ron Howard
Inclusion Information : Gay actors
Studio : Columbia Tristar
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 147 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content
Last updated : April 21, 2024

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The Da Vinci Code Review

19 May 2006

148 minutes

The Da Vinci Code

Much of the talk surrounding the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code concerned how cinematic it was: linear storytelling, short chapters, constant movement punctuated by sporadic violence, all set against a heady backdrop of Big Religious questions. All the adaptation needed to do was put Ext or Int at the front of every scene and it was a sure thing. So how Ron Howard, whose middle brow sensibility would seem a perfect fit for the book’s high minded populism, managed to come up with something so wide of the mark is a bigger mystery than anything dreamed up by Brown.

A movie so dependent on exposition that there is no room for anything else, be it character, atmosphere, or even action set-pieces, the storytelling operates not through character motivations and desires but through a series of puzzles and clues. So as Langdon and Neveu lurch from mystery to mystery — a Countdown conundrum here, an olde worlde Rubik’s Cube here — there is no sense of solving the mystery along with the heroes as they unravel impenetrable riddles (“So Dark The Con Of Man”) with ease, if little logic — whenever it gets complex, Tautou pops up with an “I-don’t-understand” to induce further plot clarifications.

After an hour of Langdon and Neveu prattling around, McKellen’s entry into the proceedings as a doddery Grail authority gives it a real boot up the backside, lending a real zest and twinkle to his difficult scenes of yet more explanation. Also on the plus side, Bettany’s mad albino henchman — half zealot, half Sith —has some effective moments (wince as he flagellates himself).But the film’s biggest surprise is the lack of engagement of its two major players. With any attempts at character sidelined by the sheer volume of plot, Hanks is a remote, detached presence, devoid of his trademark energy and charisma (he’s also the only Harvard professor to lecture via the Question Of Sport numbers board).

Equally hesitant, Howard’s trademark assurance eludes him — he botches one of the few action sequences through incomprehensible editing as Langdon and Neveu evade the police in a Smart car — and he never hits the right tone to make this hooey digestible. By the time third act comes round with its big revelations that throw up more questions than resolutions, the director feels just too drained care. And so will you.

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DVD & Streaming

The Da Vinci Code

Action/Adventure , Drama , Mystery/Suspense , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon; Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu; Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing; Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Fache; Paul Bettany as Silas; Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa

Home Release Date

Distributor.

Columbia Pictures

Movie Review

Robert Langdon is a Harvard professor of symbology, not a homicide cop. So why do the Parisian police call him to help solve the murder of a museum curator at the world-renowned Louvre? Because this is no ordinary crime scene. Aside from its unlikely setting, the body itself, as well as the immediate surroundings, bear mysterious symbols that seem to point toward the likely killer.

Paired with a French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, Robert tries to decode the clues. The first one he seems to miss, though, is that the relentless investigator assigned to the case, Captain Bezu Fache, suspects Robert of the murder.

Robert and Sophie soon uncover a conspiracy so vast and so explosive that it would turn the world upside down should it ever be revealed. This conspiracy involves a secret society whose alleged membership has included Leonardo Da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo. It posits an alternate “truth” about the founding of the Christian church and the origin of the Bible. And it calls into question the very nature of Jesus Christ.

Positive Elements

Robert and Sophie dedicate themselves to digging down through the layers of lies hoping to find the truth (they don’t ever find it, but their aim is admirable), putting themselves at considerable risk in that search. In one instance, Sophie defies a killer to protect an important secret and, hopefully, to save Robert’s life. Captain Fache at first allows a personal motive to steer his investigation, but as he unravels the loose ends, he begins to set aside this bias in an effort to crack the case.

Spiritual Elements

[ Spoiler Warning ] The basic premise of The Da Vinci Code is that Christianity as the world understands it today is based on a historical fraud. The story charges that the Roman emperor Constantine was not a Christian convert, as history records, but rather a pagan who forced the church to adopt certain positions in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea, from which we get the Nicene Creed. It maintains that Constantine started a cover-up about the “true” story of Jesus Christ—namely, that He was merely human, not divine, and that He was married to Mary Magdalene with whom he fathered a “royal bloodline” that survives to this day. The legendary Holy Grail, it insists, was not the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper, but the very womb of Mary Magdalene. (More on this in my “Conclusion.”)

Robert’s old friend and fellow historian, Sir Leigh Teabing, goes to some length to blame God and His followers for the majority of the world’s ills—past and present. In his mind, freedom for mankind can come only if everyone stops believing in God. “As long as there has been one true God, there has been killing in His name,” he states. Later he asks, “What if the world finds out that the greatest story ever told is a lie?” And he wants Jesus to be “shown for what He was, not miraculous, mad.”

Sophie asks Robert, “Are you a God-fearing man?” Robert responds, “Well, I was raised Catholic.” He recounts a time when, as a young boy, he’d fallen in a well and prayed to Jesus. “Sometimes I wonder if I was alone down there,” he says.

A mysterious albino monk (named Silas), who is under orders from a dogmatic Roman Catholic sect, prays in front of a crucifix before setting out to kill. He also prays over a person he has just slain. He allows a victim to recite a last prayer before shooting him. And he says, “Christ give me strength,” before killing.

A secret society says its mission is to “protect the source of God’s power on earth.” A clue unearthed by the monk contains a stone with Job 38:11 etched on it; a nun later recites part of the verse: “This far you may come and no farther.” The nun then tells Silas: “Jesus had but one true message.” Sophie later challenges the same killer monk: “Your god doesn’t forgive murderers; he burns them.”

There’s talk of a pentacle symbol representing devil worship. It’s pointed out that the pentacle is also the symbol for Venus, which itself is supposedly the symbol of the “sacred feminine.” The star of David is deemed a pagan diagram as well. There are two (one visual, one verbal) brief references to ritualized sex …

Sexual Content

… in which masked figures watch a naked couple writhing beneath a sheet; we briefly see the woman’s bare back. Sophie asks in disbelief if people believed they could find God through sex.

Da Vinci-era paintings of nude women are seen at various times throughout the film, as are statues. Prostitutes proposition men in a run-down section of Paris. When Robert discusses the pagan symbols for male and female fertility, Teabing makes a joke about male genitals.

Violent Content

The Da Vinci Code ‘s violence pushes at the boundaries of the PG-13 rating. The monk engages in rituals of self-mutilation in several scenes. Stripped nude, he fastens a device around his thigh that gouges into the flesh and muscle, with bloody results. We see his severely scarred and bloody back before and while he whips himself. His flagellation is accompanied by him praying before a crucifix. And he says, “I chastise my body,” a corruption of the meaning in 1 Corinthians 9:27. As all of this is going on, the camera watches intently, showing audiences the majority (but not quite all) of his nakedness from multiple angles.

Likewise, bloody diagrams carved into the body of a nude murder victim who is lying splayed on the floor are studied by the camera; high contrast and harsh lighting are the only things that hide his midsection as they create “perfectly placed” whiteouts and dark shadows.

A man holds a knife at Sophie’s throat, drawing blood. (She also has a gun held to her head, as do others.) A criminal’s neck is snapped, and we get an eyeful of his very bloody face. Captain Fache knocks a man to the floor and kicks him viciously (and repeatedly). Silas beats a nun with a large stone artifact, killing her.

There are several shootouts. In one, a bishop is seriously wounded. Policemen are hit before the assailant is brought down; we see bloody bullet wounds on his body as he dies. Another man is shot execution-style. In flashback we see a man beating his wife, and his son retaliates by plunging a knife into him. In other flashbacks we see a man run through with a spear, bodies burning at the stake, and “witches” being beaten and drowned. Crusade-era knights fight with swords. A body tumbles from a castle wall. And a knight is stabbed as he lies in bed (we see the bloody blade penetrate from below).

A head-on collision between a car and a semi is shown from inside the car. Sophie careens her car backward through the streets and over a sidewalk, narrowly missing pedestrians and barely avoiding crashing into other vehicles.

Crude or Profane Language

Four or five uses of the s-word (half of them in subtitles). Other crudities, including “h—,” “bastard” and variations of “a–” are also printed onscreen. (And some cursing in French is not translated into the subtitles.) God’s and Jesus’ names are abused about 10 times.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Robert and Sophie come upon a drug user in a park preparing to shoot up heroin. Sophie pays him to stop and walk away from his “stuff.” Then she snaps the needle off the syringe. A man drinks from a hip flask thinking it’s booze; it’s actually lethal poison. Surrounded by police in London, Teabing jokes about an old “cannabis charge.” An officer smokes a cigar.

Based on the novel by Dan Brown, which has sold more than 40 million copies since it was published in 2003, The Da Vinci Code arrives in theaters with considerable controversy preceding it. On his Web site, Brown tries to answer charges that his (tall) tale is anti-Christian by writing, “This book is not anti-anything. It’s a novel. I wrote this story in an effort to explore certain aspects of Christian history that interest me.”

That’s interesting, to say the least, since Brown opens his book by writing, “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” [ Spoiler Warning ] By extension, then—despite his online disclaimer—he, his book and now his movie assert that 1) The New Testament is not the “true” account of the life of Jesus. Rather, the Gnostic Gospels tell the true story. 2) Jesus was not fully God and fully man, as taught in Scripture and affirmed by early church creeds, but was merely a man who was declared divine by an emperor’s decree hundreds of years after the fact. 3) Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered children, founding a royal bloodline that exists to this day. 4) The first leader of the church was not any of the apostles but rather Mary Magdalene, and this fact was covered up and any dissent ruthlessly crushed by the Roman Catholic church. 5) A secret society called the Priory of Sion, founded in 1099, exists to expose the “truth” that the church is hiding. 6) The Catholic group Opus Dei is the church’s arm tasked with crushing this opposition.

In response to such assertions, a belfry full of countering books and Web sites have sprung up.

It seems that even director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman wanted to back off some of Brown’s “out-there” spiritual revisionism. (Credit them, too, with dialing back the story’s sexual content, particularly a graphic description of a religious orgy detailed in the book.) In press materials issued by Columbia Pictures, the studio contradicts Brown’s declaration that the Priory of Sion is a real secret society. It points out that this legend has been debunked as a fraud perpetrated by Pierre Plantard, a French con artist who invented the “Priory of Sion” in 1956 as part of a scam against the French government.

Other changes: the movie’s Robert Langdon is different from the novel’s. Here he’s much more of a skeptic. For example, he challenges what Teabing says about Jesus’ supposed marriage. He also seems much more open to the claims of Christianity, even talking at one point about praying and sensing the protective presence of God. And while the book flatly states, “Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false,” the movie soft-sells this thunderclap by turning it into a question: “What if the world discovers the greatest story ever told is a lie?” (Words put into the mouth of the villain.)

But this Da Vinci Code -lite, so to speak, still sets out to sow seeds of doubt about the Christian faith and it challenges important core truths established in Scripture. It also leads to an absurd—and damaging—conclusion. Robert ultimately tells Sophie, “What matters is what you believe.” Never mind evidence, history or sound reasoning. Just believe what you want. It’s a shaky (and shoddy) theology that clashes with the solution to the story’s central mystery since the movie must believe the very things Robert is doubting if it’s to end the way it does—by providing “proof” that all the previously mentioned nonsense is still, somehow, true.

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The Da Vinci Code (2006)

“As long as there has been one true God,” Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen) tells Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), “there has been killing in his name.”

You may have heard that the polytheist Romans were quite capable of killing monotheist Christians in the name of their own gods centuries before Christians were in any position to be killing anyone. According to Teabing, however, it was Christian atrocities against pagan Romans — not vice versa — that prompted the Emperor Constantine to decriminalize Christianity.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/spiritual value, age appropriateness, mpaa rating, caveat spectator.

That’s right: Constantine’s 313 edict of toleration was intended to defuse intolerance by Christians against pagan Romans — not to end three centuries of pagan persecution of Christians. (Ironically, McKellen starred in X‑Men ; had he watched the deleted scenes from that film, he might have learned from Storm’s lecture that it was the early Christians being persecuted by the pagan Romans until Constantine converted and legalized Christianity.)

Luckily, renowned Harvard “symbologist” Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is on hand to offer an opposing viewpoint. “We can’t be sure who began the atrocities,” he cautions. Now, that’s fair and balanced: We can’t be sure who started it. Nero, Diocletian, Galerius, all those early martyrs — it’s all such a muddle, who’s to say who was really persecuting whom?

In terms of early Christian history, this is not incomparable to Holocaust denial, to claiming that it was really the Jews who were oppressing the Nazis (or, at least, “we can’t be sure” who was persecuting whom). Yet the meme that “it’s only a movie” or “it’s just fiction” has largely obscured the fact that the conspiracy-theory conceits of The Da Vinci Code are by and large not novelist Dan Brown’s own flights of fancy, but are based on a lunatic-fringe view of history set forth in “non-fiction” books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Templar Revelation .

While these books have about as much credibility as the likes of Did Six Million Really Die? or The Hoax of the Twentieth Century , which is to say zero, many people who would find the raving antisemitism of the latter an insuperable obstacle in a thriller seem willing to overlook the raving anti-Catholicism of the former in The Da Vinci Code .

Imagine a popular thriller based on the version of history set forth in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , with a secret cabal of Jewish leaders conspiring to destroy Christianity and establish a global government to rule the world.

Imagine, further, that the story suggested that for thousands of years ruthless Jewish conspirators had been systematically murdering the true heirs of Abraham (or Moses or David) in order to preserve the lie that Judaism is based on, covering up the “truth” (e.g., that Abraham had no special covenant with God and was actually an adherent to a Canaanite fertility cult, and the Hebrews are not God’s chosen people).

Finally, suppose that the filmmakers tried to suggest that all this was just harmless fiction, despite the fact that for years the author of the book had been alluding to the underlying facticity of the story. Would the claim that “It’s only a story” distract any thinking person from the inherent antisemitism of such a project?

A few years ago, the release of The Passion of the Christ generated much discussion and concern regarding the question of possible antisemitism in the film . Yet, perhaps strangely, while critical reception of The Da Vinci Code has so far not been kind, most reviews seem to be sticking to safe, uncontroversial charges that the film is “boring” and “talky,” while avoiding the more pressing question of anti-Catholicism.

Is The Da Vinci Code anti-Catholic? Well, if it isn’t, then we must simply conclude that no such thing as anti-Catholicism exists, or at least that no anti-Catholic movie has ever been made. I can think of religiously themed films more profoundly oppressive to Catholic sensibilities (e.g., The Last Temptation of Christ ), and more searing indictments of corruption and abuse within the Church (e.g., The Magdalene Sisters ). But The Da Vinci Code may be the most systematic and sustained cinematic debunking of the institutions of Catholic Christianity and the Catholic Church that I’ve ever seen. That it is risible and dim-witted doesn’t make it less disgusting.

What’s so inflammatory about it? Not just the suggestion that Jesus was merely human and not divine — as radically repugnant to Christian belief as that obviously is — or that he was married and had children. Not just the appropriation of heretical Gnostic texts like the Gospel of Mary Magdalene in the name of a postmodern gnostic–neopagan rejection of Christian orthodoxy and the canonical Gospels. Not even just the suggestion that fanatical zealots within the clergy have carried out murderous campaigns in the name of their religion.

No, The Da Vinci Code not only indicts monotheism itself as synonymous with religious oppression and persecution, it casts Catholicism and the Catholic Church — not just hypocritical or abusive Catholics, but the actual institution itself — as inherently perverse and oppressive, maintaining its power solely by centuries of systematically murdering those who could expose the lies on which it is based.

How does the movie compare to the book? Have screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and director Ron Howard taken concerns or objections regarding the book into account? Well, yes, in a manner of speaking — but not in a good way.

Ever since the book came out, members of the Catholic prelature Opus Dei — dismayed by Brown’s portrayal of the group as a fanatical, shadowy “sect” or “congregation” characterized by brainwashing, coercion, and self-mutilation — have been trying to get the word out that the book’s lurid fantasies have no basis in reality.

Insidiously, the film absorbs this message into the Da Vinci Worldview. In an early scene, when we meet Opus Dei Bishop Aringarosa (Alfred Molina, Spider‑Man 2 ), he’s on a plane rehearsing talking points intended to defend Opus Dei against critics. Opus Dei simply rejects “cafeteria Catholicism,” he says benignly, while his aide recommends he avoid sounding defensive. It sounds precisely like the message the real Opus Dei has been trying to put across — or for that matter what any serious Catholic would say about his faith. You see, that’s what they want you to think.

In a similar vein, protagonist Langdon has been subtly reworked from an outspoken proponent of Da Vinci esoterica into a more skeptical, ostensibly neutral scholar who mouths many of the objections Brown’s critics have been making, putting the burden of the Da Vinci worldview onto Teabing. Now we have Langdon arguing that the Priory of Sion is “a myth” and “a hoax,” while Teabing actually gets the line, “That’s what they want you to think.”

A few critics have interpreted this as a concession to Christian concerns, but the actual effect is precisely the reverse: It essentially undermines critical objections by incorporating them into the film’s overall picture and then seeming to rebut them as Langdon is gradually converted to Teabing’s point of view.

Some Christians have optimistically hoped that The Da Vinci Code might provide a potential opportunity for dialogue and discussion about Jesus with people who might not otherwise be open to such discussions. Yet if anything the film seems calibrated precisely to inoculate viewers against any such discussion — to leave viewers with a skeptical agnosticism about efforts to set the record straight as all part of the conspiracy, “what they want you to think” (or “we can’t be sure”).

The Da Vinci Code throws so much mud around that at least some of it is likely to stick in viewers’ minds. Was Constantine really a lifelong pagan who invented the doctrine of the deity of Christ and compiled the Bible as we know it? Did the Church really declare Mary Magdalene to be a prostitute in 591? Was Sir Isaac Newton really persecuted over his theories of gravitation, the way we all “know” Galileo was for his heliocentrism ( or not )?

How many viewers will have any idea about all these questions? There are so many specifics, so much information, surely some of it has to be true, or is likely be true, or could be true. Or at least, “we can’t be sure.”

Most viewers will probably assume that Opus Dei doesn’t really have monk assassins (or for that matter any monks at all). Yet the general impression of something shadowy and unsettling about the group is likely to remain in their minds.

Beyond that, on an imaginative level, there is a sense in which the film’s relentless association of Catholic imagery — crucifixes, clergy, churches — with pervasive creepiness and depravity amounts to a kind of aesthetic slur that is hard to counter with mere arguments or talking points.

Astonishingly, after a 2½‑hour seminar on the evils of monotheism, Christianity, and the Catholic Church, The Da Vinci Code tries to have its cake and eat it too, as Langdon suggests to Sophie that “What really matters is what you believe,” even questioning whether exploding the “greatest cover-up in history” would really be such a good thing after all: Does Sophie want to “destroy faith or renew it?”

It almost sounds as if Langdon is saying, “So Christianity is a lie — let the Christians have their lie, if that’s what makes them happy.” Whatever happened to “For 2000 years the Church has rained oppression and suffering on mankind”?

Is it possible to put all this aside and just enjoy the story as a thriller, an enjoyable yarn? I honestly have no idea how people can take that approach.

Catholic writer Mark Shea tells an anecdote about a college bull session among students at Central Washington University over The Da Vinci Code . “Even if it’s just fiction,” a student opined, “it’s still interesting to think about.”

To which another student replied: “Your mother’s a whore.” And then, to the first student’s stunned incredulity, he added, “And even if that’s just fiction, it’s still interesting to think about.”

Angels & Demons (2009)

Once you’ve established that your story is set in a world in which Jesus Christ is explicitly not God, and the Catholic religion is a known fraud perpetuated by murder and cover-ups, it sort of sucks the wind out of whatever story it was you were going to tell us next. Langdon could be ironing his chinos and helping little old ladies across the street, and it would still be set in that world , and those of us who care about such things will find it hard to bracket that and just go along with the thrill machine.

Rome and Geneva: Religion and Science in <i>Angels & Demons</i>

Rome and Geneva: Religion and Science in Angels & Demons

When Sony Pictures, the production company behind the hit film The Da Vinci Code and the new sequel Angels & Demons , reached out to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN management in Geneva saw a high-profile teachable moment for science.

Lies, Damned Lies and Dan Brown: Fact-checking <i>Angels & Demons</i>

Lies, Damned Lies and Dan Brown: Fact-checking Angels & Demons

In a Q&A billed as an “interview” on his own website, Brown writes (in a comment recently highlighted by Carl Olson in This Rock ), “My goal is always to make the character’s [ sic ] and plot be so engaging that readers don’t realize how much they are learning along the way.” Or how much misinformation they’re absorbing.

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The 55 Best Movies Of All Time

Sonic the hedgehog 3 already revealed its best post-credits tease 2 years ago, fast 11 seemingly gets new writer in latest update from vin diesel.

The Da Vinci Code series, based on Dan Brown's bestselling novels, received mixed reviews but became a huge commercial success, grossing over $750 million worldwide.
Angels & Demons, the first novel in the series, was reworked as a sequel to The Da Vinci Code due to its success. It received better reviews compared to the third movie, Inferno.
The future of The Da Vinci Code series is uncertain after the TV adaptation of The Lost Symbol was canceled after one season due to declining ratings and negative reviews.

The Da Vinci Code series of movies brings Dan Brown's bestselling novels to life on the big screen with Tom Hanks in the starring role. The Da Vinci Code is the second novel by author Dan Brown to feature his recurring protagonist, the renowned "symbologist" Robert Langdon. As the first movie of the series adapted, the plot sees Langdon called in to investigate a murder at the Louvre that soon sees him on the run from the police, an albino assassin, and a secret society while discovering information that Jesus Christ may have fathered a child with Mary Magdalene.

The book didn't attract great reviews and was widely condemned by the church, none of which prevented it from becoming a gigantic bestseller. It was really only a matter of time until a movie was made. The same criticisms that dogged his books have also followed The Da Vinci Code series of movies, which received lukewarm to poor critical reviews, but big box office takes. The first movie grossed over $750 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo ) and paved the way for the franchise. And with the streaming wars in full force, it's not surprising that a move to television also happened for Dan Brown's hero Robert Langdon .

Screen Rant breaks down the best movies of all time, from old classics to modern masterpieces across multiple genres of cinema.

The TV Show Is A Prequel To The Movies

Angels & Demons is actually the first novel in Dan Brown's book series but was reworked to be a sequel following the success of the first installment of The Da Vinci Code series. Ron Howard — who directed all three movies — clearly took criticisms of the first movie to heart too, and ensured the sequel moves at a quicker pace and doesn't get overly bogged down in exposition. This might be why the controversial Angels & Demons received some of the best reviews of the Robert Langdon movie trilogy.

Critics loved it much more than 2016's Inferno , which sees Langdon racing against time to stop a plot that will wipe out half the planet's population. Inferno's story barely holds together, but is helped by performances from Felicity Jones and the late Irrfan Khan. However, it was considered the weakest of the franchise and Inferno has the lowest box office to match .

It appears Tom Hanks' reign as Robert Langdon is over, with Ashley Zukerman taking over the character on the prequel TV The Lost Symbol .

After that movie seemingly marked the end of the franchise on the big screen, it pivoted to the small screen. It appears Tom Hanks' reign as Robert Langdon is over, with Ashley Zukerman taking over the character on the prequel TV The Lost Symbol . Unfortunately, the show, like the planned movie adaptation of it, was canceled after just one season, meaning Zukerman may never get the chance to portray Langdon again.

Was The Da Vinci Code Franchise Successful?

The series was a commercial hit but didn't land with critics.

None of The Da Vinci Code series of Robert Langdon-centered films have received spectacular reviews from critics, but they've mostly been hits. That said, there was a noticeable downturn in profit with each entry . While plans for a fourth Robert Langdon movie appear not to be in the cards, the original plans for the third installment, Inferno , were to adapt an entirely different Dan Brown book – The Lost Symbol .

Director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks abandoned that plan, stating that the material went over too much of the same ground as The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons , and opted to adapt the newer book in the franchise. However, those abandoned plans weren't scrapped entirely, and The Lost Symbol eventually made its way into a TV format, with some major changes, including moving its appearance in the timeline to be a prequel to Da Vinci Code.

This includes recasting Robert Langdon with the younger Zukerman. The show sees Langdon investigating the actions of the Freemasons and searching for his abducted friend and mentor (Eddie Izzard) and received middling to positive reviews. That aspect of mixed reviews lines up well with the rest of the franchise as the movies and books received similar responses. It's the kind of series that people seem to either love or hate with little in between but those who like it have helped it become largely successful .

The Da Vinci Code Series' Future Is Uncertain

The cancelation of the show doesn't bode well.

The future of The Da Vinci Code series hangs in the balance after The Lost Symbol ended only one season in. The Da Vinci Code TV show had a very brief run on the streaming service Peacock, and there have been various reasons listed for why the show was canceled. First, reviews were less-than-positive and while the show started relatively strong, the season began to wane and suffer for the same reasons that The Da Vinci Code series often did, something critics were quick to point out.

The disappointingly low ratings brought The Lost Symbol TV show to a close, and the rest is ancient history.

Therefore, as the show progressed, it received more negative reviews and audience interest dissipated. The disappointingly low ratings brought The Lost Symbol to a close, and the rest is ancient history. Peacock also said that in one season, the show did what it set out to do. However, making The Lost Symbol into a miniseries probably isn't what showrunners had in mind, as the narrative feels like it's building to something grander. Nonetheless, this is the reasoning that Peacock gave in a statement for ending The Lost Symbol after one season (via THR ).

“We were so proud to bring this action-packed mystery thriller to our members and enjoyed watching this compelling series unfold with a satisfying, complete story.”

The Da Vinci Code Books In Order

The books were released in a different order from the adaptations.

While there were four adaptations, there were five total books in Dan Brown's novel series . The first four books changed somewhat on screen. Unlike the movies, Angels & Demons started Robert Langdon's story in the books and took place first in chronological order. After this, Robert moved on to the mystery of The Da Vinci Code . That is where things also switched up in the movies, as Ron Howard chose to skip over The Lost Symbol and move on to Inferno.

The Lost Symbol was never a prequel in the Da Vinci Code series.

After Inferno , the movies stopped. Changes were made for TV as The Lost Symbol was never a prequel in the Da Vinci Code series. For Dan Brown, he had one more book that arrived in 2017 called Origin . As with the other books and movies, Origin and its storyline remain a polarizing and controversial read. Despite that, it received mostly positive reviews and hit the bestseller lists but since then, the franchise hasn't seen another entry.

What An Origin Adaptation Would Look Like

There's one more book that could be adapted.

Origin is, to date, the final tale in the overarching story of Robert Langdon. In this entry, the protagonist heads to Spain and the Guggenheim Museum for an event hosted by a billionaire philanthropist. While there, Langdon listens to a man who claims he can change how religion is viewed forever, but when the man is murdered, Langdon tries to find out his secrets before they are lost forever.

However, some of the criticisms against the book surrounded a lack of action which might not translate well to the big screen.

Considering Dan Brown visited many of the locations in the book while writing it, a film adaptation would likely involve actually filming on location in Spain. The book was praised for the themes and raising questions about whether science and religion can co-exist. However, some of the criticisms against the book surrounded a lack of action which might not translate well to the big screen. It's likely that an adaptation of Origin would receive a similar response to the other entries in the Da Vinci Code series.

The Da Vinci Code

Da Vinci Code, The (United States, 2006)

Perhaps a better title for The Da Vinci Code might be Much Ado about Nothing . When you boil away the hype and hysteria, all that remains is a pedestrian murder mystery that isn't sufficiently challenging or scandalous to raise anyone's hackles. It's preposterous, overlong, and saddled with a sloppy denouement that defines the term "anti-climax." The film's two big "surprises" are telegraphed early, and the ease with which they can be guessed (using the "conservation of characters" process) leeches the movie of a large measure of its suspense. Individual scenes are entertaining in their own right, but the production as a whole is a lumbering mess.

I intentionally avoided Dan Brown's novel before seeing the movie (and don't intend to read it now that I have sat through the adaptation), hoping to provide a fresh perspective. Presumably, the book, which is often referred to as a "compulsive page-turner," is more riveting that its cinematic counterpart. The Da Vinci Code (the movie) is a mediocre thriller, with too few thrills and too much predictable action.

A murder in the Louvre sends Professor Robert Langdon, a visiting "symbologist" from Harvard, on the first steps of a dangerous journey that leads him into the heart of "the greatest cover-up in human history" - one that involves Opus Dei, the Knights Templar, cults, artwork, and a lot of things than happened 2000 years ago. His companion on the trek is French police officer Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou). They have been framed for the Louvre murder, and Captain Fache (Jean Reno), a humorless cop who's hiding something, is hot on their trail. Recognizing that they have uncovered the tip of a conspiracy that involves warring factions of the Catholic Church and the Holy Grail, they seek "Grail expert" Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellan), who joins their quest. (Sadly, the Monty Python troupe couldn't make it.) But the pursuit of Fache isn't the only thing they have to worry about. A murderous albino by the name of Silas (Paul Bettany), the "pet" of Bishop Sringarosa (Alfred Molina), has orders to eliminate them and take into custody an artifact they have in their possession.

The Da Vinci Code has strange rhythms for a thriller. Bursts of action are interrupted by lengthy periods of exposition. The crime is essentially resolved around the two-hour mark, leaving the movie nearly 30 minutes to muddle through to a drawn-out and predictable conclusion. Oddly, the "talky" parts of the film are more interesting than the kinetic ones. That's because, when it comes to explaining the conspiracy, The Da Vinci Code does an impressive job of blending fact, speculation, and pure fiction into a mix that is intriguing (albeit outlandish). The action sequences, on the other hand, are too straightforward to be more than distracting.

The scenes that really shine are those in which director Ron Howard brings his skills as a visual director to bear. When we first meet Langdon, he is lecturing on the meaning of symbols. The brief excerpt Howard provides of this talk is fascinating. Equally compelling is Teabing's dissection of "The Last Supper" and his explanation of the nature of the Holy Grail. And there's a little inventiveness in the way Langdon's visualization of Issac Newton's tomb is employed to break a code. Sadly, as a director, Howard also makes a major misstep with an unforgivable continuity gaffe (it involves a phone call). Although (I am told) this is explained in the book, the explanation is not provided in the movie, and it becomes an instance of slipshod misdirection.

Is The Da Vinci Code blasphemous or sacrilegious? It certainly takes a negative view of Catholic doctrine and Church policies. (Poor maligned Opus Dei.) And it calls into question cornerstone aspects of Christian faith. Some may find this distasteful, but the movie does not go out of its way to be insulting or condescending. The story is so outlandish as to be obviously fabricated, with a minimal basis in fact. The Da Vinci Code is fanciful enough that it requires no debunking - that much should be obvious to anyone attending the film.

The cast is impressive, and is headlined by megastar Tom Hanks, French beauty Audrey Tautou ( Amelie ), and respected British thespian (and everyone's favorite mutant or wizard) Ian McKellan. All do the best jobs they can with paper-thin characters. No one is given much of an opportunity to stand out. Paul Bettany brings a little menace to his role as the most visible bad guy, but he's never truly frightening. In fact, there are times when Jean Reno is more intimidating. The chemistry between Hanks and Tautou is lukewarm at best. If there's anything other than mild affection between them, it doesn't make it across. The Da Vinci Code is ultimately too plot-heavy to allow much in the way of character development, and that means it's not an actors' feature. Hanks is familiar, Tautou is lovely, and McKellan is eloquent - and that's all they have to be.

The prosaic story does not warrant the film's epic length. Two-and-one-half hour movies are supposed to be something special. This one is merely overlong. I can't help but wonder whether a shorter, sharper cut of The Da Vinci Code might have resulted in a more suspenseful production. The muddled ending is part of the problem, but so is the "treasure hunt" aspect of the journey. It becomes tedious when breaking a code or solving a puzzle merely uncovers another puzzle or code. After a while, this pattern becomes tiresome. Maybe it's fun to "play along" with characters in a book, but the movie experience isn't engaging. At least The Da Vinci Code is better in this respect than National Treasure .

In terms of its appeal, The Da Vinci Code isn't appreciably better or worse than its two summer 2006 big-budget predecessors, Mission: Impossible III and Poseidon (although it will likely score a higher total at the box office than either). Like those earlier releases, it's a relatively mindless affair that offers adequate entertainment value while displaying obvious, and often irritating, flaws. The controversy has made seeing The Da Vinci Code a more desirable night out than it might otherwise have been, but it won't take long before potential audience members recognize that the Emperor has no clothes. One could classify The Da Vinci Code as diverting, but it has sidestepped greatness by a wide margin.

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THE DA VINCI CODE

"velvet fist".

What You Need To Know:

(PaPaPa, RHRHRH, ABAB, FRFR, CC, BB, H, Fe, PC, LL, VV, SS, N, MM) Very strong mixed, pagan worldview with strong references to paganism itself (including references to “male/female principles” of paganism, nature worship of paganism, the “sacred feminine,” and references to and distortions of spurious pagan Gnostic texts about Jesus Christ and His followers, but without all the goddess worship and pagan communion with God through sex mentioned in the book), plus very strong false revisionist history that has no or very little evidence in reality (including completely false references to alleged bloodline from the alleged marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ (none of which has any historical evidence whatsoever), where movie says that, in this supposed scenario, a pregnant Mary Magdalene left Jerusalem sometime shortly after Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and traveled to France where the bloodline continues in secret today, strong Anti-Christian and Anti Roman Catholic content (which is watered down and sometimes even disputed when compared to the book), some positive references to Jesus Christ, prayer and God with strong moral elements (including hero says “Godspeed” to heroine at an important point, which is totally unlike the relentlessly pagan, anti-theistic and Anti-Christian attitude of the hero in the book and the book author, Dan Brown’s, attitude and voice in the book), and, unlike the book, the hero is not extremely Anti-Christian and actually throws skeptical, somewhat pro-Christian retorts to pagan professor who spouts much (but not all) of the anti-Christian and revisionist pagan attacks on Christianity, the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the book, plus woman expresses humanist beliefs at one point that she does not believe in God and man expresses humanist agnostic beliefs about the truth and divinity of Jesus Christ at the movie’s end (although he recounts an incident of prayer to Jesus Christ wherein Jesus may have saved his life) and says it does not matter whether Jesus Christ was human or divine but that people should decide for themselves one way or another what they believe, but he also tells alleged descendent of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ that she can “destroy faith or renew it” and tells her, “The only thing that matters is what you believe,” plus some false religion includes the aforementioned statement that it does not matter ultimately whether Jesus is divine or not and Christian monk doing bidding of secret cabal says things like “Christ give me strength” as he threatens and murder people he considers evil or people in the way of his goals, plus left-wing political correctness as pagan villain (who also appears as something of a madman at the end) talks about people he believes were oppressed by the Christian Church (especially the Roman Catholic Church), including “people of another color” and women, but this pagan villain is pictured in the movie (but not in the book) as part of the problem in the war between members of a secret cabal of powerful men in of the Roman Catholic Church and a group of vague pagans who oppose basic traditional Christian doctrine; six obscenities, one strong profanity and four light profanities, plus man says, “My God, forgive me”; strong violence includes man shot deliberately in stomach, images of naked corpse where man drew a pentagram on his chest from his blood before he died, monk tightens spiked chain around his upper thigh as a penance, monk flagellates his back with sharp whip that draws blood, some bloody images of self-flagellation, shootout with police where police go down and villain is shot to death and a bishop is wounded accidentally, fighting, hostage held with knife at throat, man dies of poison, man saves life of priest being attacked in flashback, evil monk brutally strikes nun and kills her, it is implied in a flashback that boy stabs father to death while father hit boy’s mother, man breaks another man’s neck when man is beating up priest, policeman breaks air traffic controller’s nose and kicks him brutally to get info on alleged killer’s plane, and people hold people at gunpoint; briefly depicted fornication in one scene during some kind of weird unexplained ritual that is actually explained as an act of pagan goddess worship in the original book and prostitutes along Champs de Elysses lean into open car windows of prospective clients; rear and upper male nudity, and woman’s bare back shown during sex scene; no alcohol; no smoking or drug use but woman buys heroin needle from junkie before he uses it and destroys it; and, lying, betrayal, deceit, conspiracies, man bows down at possible alleged, hidden grave of Mary Magdalene where above the grave are male/female pagan symbols of inverted pyramid and regular pyramid, but it’s hard to say whether man actually worships at the feet of Mary Magdalene whereas in the book he’s actually worshipping at the feet of a kind of goddess symbol of the “sacred feminine,” and man says, "History shows Jesus was an extraordinary man. Why couldn't Jesus have been divine and still have been a father?"

More Detail:

THE DA VINCI CODE book by Dan Brown is a hateful piece of false propaganda that slanders Jesus Christ, His apostles, Mary Magdalene, Christians, the Roman Catholic Church, and the God of the Bible. It contains numerous factual errors that can seriously damage people’s knowledge and understanding of history, the Bible, Christianity, monotheism, and truth. The book also attacks Jews and eliminates the Jewish identity of Jesus Christ, His apostles and Mary Magdalene, to the point of being Anti-Semitic.

Although the movie significantly waters down the unrelenting, anti-Christian attacks and virulent paganism, goddess worship and pagan sexuality of the novel, it promotes the book and contains enough falsehoods and scurrilous conjecture to distort the truth about Jesus Christ, the Bible, Christianity, and God. That, coupled with the book’s popularity and some Christians’ ignorance about their faith, leads us to believe that the movie, and the attention it draws, will increase some people’s hatred and prejudice against Christians and Christianity.

That said, the movie contains some strong positive statements and elements regarding Jesus Christ and God that were not in the book. The movie also significantly changes the hero in the book, Robert Langdon, into somewhat of a friendly but uncommitted agnostic on the pagan theology and pagan history presented by the book. This is a major change from the book, wherein Langdon comes across as a solidly pagan feminist who hates Christianity. In the movie, Langdon even defends Christianity two or more times.

It is clear, therefore, that the filmmakers, and the studio distributing and promoting the movie, have inserted a few positive things into the movie, and changed the most important character in the book, probably in an attempt to lessen the movie’s offense to Christians. It should also be noted that, in the book, an allegedly evil, top Vatican leadership is secretly fighting the pagan heroes in the book. In the movie, however, it is a small group of evil people in positions of power in the Roman Catholic Church who are secretly fighting the pagans, whose feminism and paganism is diluted. Not only that, but one of the pagan leaders is shown at the end to be somewhat of an obsessed, evil madman himself.

As in the book, the movie opens with the murder of the curator of The Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Before he dies, however, the curator leaves a bizarre set of clues at the murder scene. The police call in Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, to help decipher the clues.

At the murder scene, Langdon starts to do just that for the chief inspector on the case. They are interrupted by a pretty female cryptologist named Sophie, however, who secretly warns Langdon that he is the sole murder suspect. She also tells Langdon that the dead curator was her grandfather.

Through a clever ruse, Langdon and Sophie escape the gruff police inspector and go on a treasure hunt for the hidden grave of Mary Magdalene, the woman mentioned in the New Testament. Langdon tells Sophie that some people believe that Mary was the actual wife of Jesus Christ and became pregnant before Jesus died on the Cross. He also tells her that a secret cabal of knights and their descendents, called the Priory of Sion, are guarding the secret and that her grandfather may be the Grand Master of the current four leading knights. What Langdon and Sophie don’t know is that a secret cabal from the Roman Catholic Church and from the conservative church organization called Opus Dei have sent a murderous monk called Silas after the gravesite to help Opus Dei destroy all the evidence concerning Mary Magdalene.

With the chief inspector and the conflicted monk hot on their trail, Langdon and Sophie seek to find Mary Magdalene’s grave. Like the book, the womb of Mary Magdalene is supposed to be the real representation of the Holy Grail mentioned in myth and legend. The royal bloodline of Mary and Jesus also is part of the real meaning behind the Holy Grail, but the movie eliminates the book’s references to feminist pagan sexuality in connection with this theory. The movie also significantly dilutes the book’s goddess worship plot.

Some predictable twists and turns, and more violent confrontations, lead to the movie’s overlong climax and its conclusion, or denouement.

THE DA VINCI CODE movie is not quite as dull as many critics already have been saying. It is still, however, too long and talky, especially in the middle and toward the end. The movie also doesn’t have quite the same sense of urgency and excitement as parts of the book, though the movie does have its moments. Yet, like the book, some of the story’s twists can be seen a mile away. In fact, the story telegraphs two of its major plot twists by the midway point. Also, the jeopardy in the action needs to be ratcheted up much higher. Even if they did do that, however, the talky elements of the story’s exposition scenes would still be a fatal flaw.

Finally, the acting in THE DA VINCI CODE is serviceable, but not earth-shattering. Some of it, in fact, is a bit melodramatic, like some of the book’s dialogue. Ian McKellan does the best job, though not as good as his excellent performance in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Tom Hanks seems a bit bored and lackadaisical at times.

Thus, THE DA VINCI CODE probably deserves a lukewarm three stars. As with the book, a major problem is that the climax of the story, the murder of the curator, occurs in the very first scene. Then comes the treasure hunt by the hero and heroine, including the assistance they get from the Wise Old Man, in the form of the Ian McKellan character.

Because of its changes and additions to the book’s story, the movie version of THE DA VINCI CODE has a more mixed pagan worldview. The feminism and goddess worship from the book are almost completely absent. Even so, however, the movie’s mixed worldview still seems very strong. Its mixed nature contains strong positive references to paganism, as well as some positive Christian elements referring to Jesus Christ and an apparent answered prayer to Jesus (which is not in the book), positive references to God, some humanist statements of atheism and agnosticism, some light political correctness, and some light feminism.

Also very strong is the movie’s false revisionist history. This false history includes references to an alleged marriage and alleged royal bloodline between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. It also includes some false history regarding the famous Knights Templar from the times of the Crusades against the evil, murderous Cult of Islam, some false history regarding the origins of Christianity (including the New Testament documents and the Council of Nicea), some false art history regarding Leonardo Da Vinci, etc. Once again, however, the feminism and goddess worship from the book’s revisionist history are almost completely absent. Also, instead of defending the pagan point of view often as he does in the book, the Robert Langdon character in the movie actually sometimes defends the traditional Christian view of the historical record. He does, however, buy into the royal bloodline story of Mary Magdalene. He also doesn’t present a lot of facts to dispute Ian McKellan’s character’s phony stories about the Emperor Constantine and some believers inventing the traditional New Testament stories about Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the movie’s final scene overtly shows the audience (but not the characters) the hidden tomb of Mary Magdalene. Thus, the final scene gives a final credence to the movie’s Mary Magdalene story despite the hero’s skepticism.

Before that final scene, however, the hero in the movie (unlike the book) casts doubt on some of the Ian McKellan character’s diatribe against traditional Christian history and the Church’s alleged invention of Christianity. The movie hero also says “Godspeed” to the heroine at one important point. He also tells her that she can decide whether to “destroy faith or renew it” and tells her, “The only thing that matters is what you believe.” Finally, he says, “History shows Jesus was an extraordinary man. Why couldn’t Jesus have been divine and still have been a father?” These lines are not in the book.

Of course, the stories of Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene before he died and even impregnating His alleged wife with child fail to deal with the actual historical record. They also cannot answer questions of what happened to the bones of Jesus Christ, why didn’t the Jewish and Roman authorities at the time ever make an effort to retrieve the actual body of Christ that disappeared, what happened with the stories about the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, and why aren’t Mary Magdalene’s followers today also searching for the bones of Jesus Christ to venerate and/or worship, especially since these alleged followers claim that Jesus Christ was the one who allegedly appointed Mary and her bloodline as his heirs. One would think that a secret cabal of powerful believers in such stories would make just as much of an effort to discover the bones of Christ and venerate them. Furthermore, the hero’s suggestion that Jesus Christ could have still been divine and fathered a child. If that is the case, then Jesus perhaps could even have been resurrected and His resurrected body gone to Heaven. If that is the case, however, then why be upset about Christians claiming that Jesus was divine and that He rose from the dead?

It also should be noted here that the book’s history of paganism and goddess worship has also been discredited. The evidence for a peaceful, matriarchal society of goddess worshippers in Europe is negligible at best. In fact, there is evidence from ancient cave paintings in Europe that early human societies descended from Adam and Eve worshipped a Lord of Creation. There is also lots of evidence that primitive societies, although they may have some pagan beliefs, also show evidence of a belief in an ultimate “Sky God,” or Supreme Being, who created the heavens and the earth. Such evidence is perfectly in keeping with the ethical monotheism and pagan apostasy depicted in the first chapters of Genesis, written by Moses.

Although Dan Brown’s pagan, radical feminist propaganda has been diluted and denuded, the movie’s own false history still will lead many people astray. It may also, as suggested above, increase some people’s hatred and prejudice against Christians and Christianity, as well as the Bible. Ultimately, by casting doubt on Dan Brown’s original story and pagan, radical feminist worldview in the book, the movie shoots itself in the foot. Fans of the novel, especially fans of the book’s Anti-Christian, Anti-Semitic pagan/feminine propaganda should be very upset about the changes and additions that Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman have made. Christians, however, should still be very upset about the Anti-Christian content and false revisionist history in this movie.

Thus, when all is said and done, MOVIEGUIDE® still advises people not to go see THE DA VINCI CODE movie. It’s not great entertainment. If you must go see a movie, go see OVER THE HEDGE, AKEELAH AND THE BEE, THE LOST CITY, SAVING SHILOH, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, or even POSEIDON instead. Or, better yet, watch INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, a much better, more heroic and more Christian-friendly story about a heroic search for the Holy Grail.

'The Inventor' Review: A Lovingly Animated Leonardo da Vinci Without Much of a Story

A clever inventor like Leonardo da Vinci seems like the ideal subject for a clever artform like stop-motion animation. And in many ways he is: Da Vinci’s creations translate to the screen with whimsy and skill in The Inventor , written, produced, and directed by Jim Capobianco and co-directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon. But despite its protagonist, voiced by British actor Stephen Fry, the film feels oddly disjointed, as if there’s not enough story to sustain 90 minutes of beautifully-made stop-motion and hand-drawn animation.

We meet Da Vinci towards the end of his life. He’s working studiously in Italy, but Pope Leo X (Matt Berry) isn’t a fan of his creations. This sort of work, the pope says, should be devout and pay homage to God, not be so fanciful. But Da Vinci is on a existential quest to understand the purpose of life. Capobianco, known as the screenwriter of Ratatouille , intercuts the stop-motion with sketchy, hand-drawn sequences where the inventor seeks meaning before he ascends into the great beyond. It’s deep, in a good way, although younger viewers will drop their attention frequently in these scenes. Da Vinci eventually leaves Italy for the French court, where the royal family tasks him with building a perfect city.

It’s all ripe for compelling visuals. The animation is executed with genuine care and love for the medium, and the craft is impressive. But the story is often aimless and surprisingly flat. Da Vinci teams up a young woman named Marguerite (Daisy Ridley) as he explores his ideas in France, but there is little in the way of actual plot. There are some songs, but you won’t remember any of them. There is a conflict of sorts with Louise of Savoy, voiced by the only actual French person in the film Marion Cotillard, but the stakes here are low.

Stop-motion requires an immense amount of time and skill, which is why it’s so rarely made. The Inventor evokes the old-school style of Rankin-Bass in a way that’s enjoyably nostalgic. You can almost feel and touch the characters. So it’s disappointing that the film doesn’t seem to know what it is or who it’s for. It doesn’t seem like it’s for kids, especially young ones, although older children and teens might be interested in Da Vinci’s life and work presented in a less erudite way. It asks big questions about life and meaning that might compel adults, but it’s ultimately hard to see this landing anywhere outside of a niche audience. If you appreciate stop-motion as an art, it’s a must. If you want a good story, maybe not.

In the end, Da Vinci finds his meaning, although it’s not fully shared with the audience. That choice feels emblematic of the film itself. Capobianco and his filmmakers visually showcase something sincerely beautiful. It’s a reminder of why stop-motion is a genre worth preserving and perpetuating. But under the colorful façade the foundation is underbuilt. Like Da Vinci’s own work, though, maybe it’s enough to try something interesting and see if it works.

Observer Reviews are regular assessments of new and noteworthy cinema.

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COMMENTS

The Da Vinci Code movie review (2006)
Let us begin, then, by agreeing that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. And that since everyone has read the novel, I need only give away one secret -- that the movie follows the book religiously. While the book is a potboiler written with little grace and style, it does supply an intriguing plot. Luckily, Ron Howard is a better filmmaker ...
The Da Vinci Code
Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/04/24 Full Review Marco D Flawed but a very interesting concept to the Da Vinci code. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full ...
The Da Vinci Code
So intent on being faithful, The DaVinci Code forgets to be entertaining. Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Feb 28, 2008. Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault. Any movie with a skulking albino ...
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
9/10. True to the book; a strangely beautiful film. bonnie91 17 August 2006. The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard, is an excellent adaptation of Brown's novel that leaves you with an odd mixture of quizzicality, wonder and contentment by the time the movie is over.
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code. Directed by Ron Howard. Mystery, Thriller. PG-13. 2h 29m. By A.O. Scott. May 18, 2006. CANNES, France, May 17 — It seems you can't open a movie these days without provoking ...
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code: Directed by Ron Howard. With Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno. A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code - Metacritic. Summary Based on Dan Brown's popular and controversial novel, The Da Vinci Code begins with a spectacular murder in the Louvre Museum. All clues point to a covert religious organization that will stop at nothing to protect a secret that threatens to overturn 2,000 years of accepted dogma. (Sony) Mystery. Thriller.
The Da Vinci Code critic reviews
Slate. Given the silliness of the source material, The Da Vinci Code stood little chance of being a great film, but it could easily have been a fun one. Instead, Howard takes a strangely respectful approach to the overheated mysticism of the novel, turning the film into that most boring of genres: the pious blockbuster. Read More.
BBC
For all the prestige production values and A-list stars, The Da Vinci Code is practically catatonic. It just lies there on the screen like a $100 million mattress. The script is bad. The acting is ...
The Da Vinci Code Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 8 ): Kids say ( 30 ): Based on Dan Brown's bestseller, this movie is surprisingly unwieldy and conventional, despite and because of the controversy surrounding it. While The Da Vinci Code often looks like it's offering subjective views into Robert Langdon's mind, in effect these images are silly and slow.
The Da Vinci Code [Reviews]
Hans Zimmer - <i>The Da Vinci Code Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> May 18, 2006 - A dark and brooding selection of orchestral cues from the movie. The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code Review
Release Date: 18 May 2006. Running Time: 148 minutes. Certificate: 12A. Original Title: The Da Vinci Code. Much of the talk surrounding the success of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code concerned how ...
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman, and based on Dan Brown's 2003 novel of the same name.The first in the Robert Langdon film series, the film stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow, Jean Reno and Paul Bettany.In the film, Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology from Harvard ...
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code 's violence pushes at the boundaries of the PG-13 rating. The monk engages in rituals of self-mutilation in several scenes. Stripped nude, he fastens a device around his thigh that gouges into the flesh and muscle, with bloody results. We see his severely scarred and bloody back before and while he whips himself.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code (2006) F SDG Original source: National Catholic Register. "As long as there has been one true God," Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen) tells Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), "there has been killing in his name.". You may have heard that the polytheist Romans were quite capable of killing monotheist Christians in the name of ...
The Da Vinci Code
In the end, The Da Vinci Code leaves us pondering the many mysteries of Mary Magdalene. It opens our minds and for a few moments our hearts. And that is no small feat. We close with a witty and provocative thought by Lily Tomlin: "The mind is like a parachute; it only works when it is open." Special DVD features include: First Day on the Set ...
The Da Vinci Code Series In Chronological Order
The Da Vinci Code series, based on Dan Brown's bestselling novels, received mixed reviews but became a huge commercial success, grossing over $750 million worldwide. Angels & Demons, the first novel in the series, was reworked as a sequel to The Da Vinci Code due to its success. It received better reviews compared to the third movie, Inferno.
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. ... The movie received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert in its review wrote that "Ron Howard is a better filmmaker than Dan Brown is a novelist; he follows Brown's formula (exotic location, startling revelation, desperate chase scene, repeat as needed) and elevates it into a superior ...
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Paris, France. An elaborate enigma shrouds the bizarre murder of a Louvre curator, dragging visiting Harvard symbologist Professor Robert Langdon into a dark world of mysterious secret messages and dangerous conspiracies dating back centuries. And as the inquisitive academic joins forces with spirited police cryptographer Sophie Neveu, the ...
The Da Vinci Code 10th Anniversary
The Da Vinci Code was shot on film using various Arricam cameras and the Super35 process in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, scanned and finished as a 4K Digital Intermediate. It is this 4K DI that has been used here for this Ultra HD Blu-ray.The film is presented with a 3840 x 2160p resolution and in a widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the disc uses 10-bit video depth, a Wider Colour Gamut (WCG) and High ...
Da Vinci Code, The
The Da Vinci Code is ultimately too plot-heavy to allow much in the way of character development, and that means it's not an actors' feature. Hanks is familiar, Tautou is lovely, and McKellan is eloquent - and that's all they have to be. The prosaic story does not warrant the film's epic length. Two-and-one-half hour movies are supposed to be ...
THE DA VINCI CODE
THE DA VINCI CODE book by Dan Brown is a hateful piece of false pagan/feminist propaganda that slanders Jesus Christ, His church and Christians. The movie version opens like the book but changes and adds some things. Like the book, the movie's story involves a Harvard professor and a pretty French cryptologist's search for the hidden grave of ...
'The Inventor' Review: A Lovingly Animated Leonardo da Vinci ...
A clever inventor like Leonardo da Vinci seems like the ideal subject for a clever artform like stop-motion animation. And in many ways he is: Da Vinci's creations translate to the screen with ...
Dan Brown: His journey from failed musician to bestselling ...
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The Da Vinci Code

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