I felt like seeing a movie today, and "The Da Vinci Code" fit into my schedule.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It cleaves to the book, and having slogged my way through that drivel, I knew what to expect.
Hanks played the role no worse than it was written. Given the rotten reviews he's been receiving on this thread, I figured he'd be atrocious. He wasn't. He was low key and restrained and didn't really have much to do. But that's Dan Brown's fault. The character didn't have much to do in the book, either.
Ian McKellan is a joy to watch in anything, and he was here, too.
Paul Bettany was a waste as the Bizzaro albino monk. (He does bear a resemblance to folks in Superman's Bizarro Land.) This character is a farce. It was as if Brown couldn't develop a fully fleshed human being as a character (he can't), so he makes his predator albino and a flagellation freak.
I've not a big fan of Audrey Tautou, though I did enjoy her in "Dirty Pretty Things" and "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." If the camera adds 10 lbs, she must reside in an alternate reality where negative weight counts. I was continually distracted by how thin her legs are.
Let's face it. Ron Howard was saddled with an awful book, read by a bazillion people around the world. He had no choice but to make a talkie movie. The people continually talk at one another while trying to decipher the millions of clues. He couldn't take liberties; he had to be faithful to the god-awful story, you should pardon the pun. All in all, he did a credible job with a sack of poo.
This post was last modified: 06-06-2006, 11:46 PM by Maggers.
Reading is freedom.
The mind soars, no earthly cares,
no limitations.
A Maggers Haiku, 2005
Years ago my mother used to say to me... "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me.
Elwood P. Dowd