I first noticed the popularity of the The Da Vinci Code a few years ago while on vacation. It seemed like there was a copy under every beach umbrella, evidence that this is the kind of book you read when you’re relaxed, half naked, and drunk. Sounds like a summer blockbuster in the making.

Christians are already upset about the movie's supposition of a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church and the life of Jesus. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is sucked into the plot while in Paris on business. He receives an urgent late-night phone call by the French version of the FBI, led by Captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno). The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon discovers that it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci. Peril ensues as as Langdon is hot on the trail of a secret that has been protected since the days of Christ. French cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) is just plain hot.

In terms of marketing, making a movie out of a runaway bestseller is a no-brainer. In terms of movie making, a brain would have helped. Perfect in its page-turning form, The Da Vinci Code sees no improvement when made into a summer blockbuster. On the contrary, its clever premise could be at least thought-provoking when detailed in book form, but in a movie it seems as plausible as the Founding Fathers putting a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

I can’t fault the production, the direction or the acting. If The Da Vinci Code were an original script, it could have been one of this year’s best films. But that’s like saying that if the Classics Illustrated version of Gullivers' Travels were an original story it would be a comic book of genius. And Dan Brown’s book is no classic.

If you don’t have the time or energy to read one of the 40 million copies of The Da Vinci Code that clutter the planet, that’s understandable. If watching the movie is as much as you want to invest in this pop culture phenomenon, I recommend that you watch it on one of the millions of DVDs that will be with us later this year.


Release Date: May 19th, 2006

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

Director: Ron Howard

Writers: Akiva Goldsman, Dan Brown (Author of The Da Vinci Code), Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (Authors of The Bible)

Music: James Horner

Studio: Columbia Pictures