I work for a major cinema chain as a film technician and I've just returned home early thursday morning after a very late night previewing a brand spanking new print of The Da Vinci Code.

The Da Vinci Code is both fascinating and frustrating in equal measure - but maybe this is because i've not delved as deeply into Dan Brown's work as some have done.

Good adaptation, some plot lines from the book have been stripped back for pace, but do not detract - the brother and grandmother storyline have been re-evaluated for the films final coda.

Sir Ian McKellan - as always, superbly faultless. Quite wonderful.

Tom Hanks - not a big fan of his, but...that said, he seems to grow into the character by half way through the film and you believe in him as Robert Langdon. To his credit, this can't have been an easy job considering the sheer volume of people around the globe who have their own idea and imagining of who 'Robert Langdon' is in their own minds eye.

Audrey Tatou...great actress, fan of her previous work (Amelie, A Very Long Engagement etc) but here i think the story envelopes her character somewhat. not her best work, but she scrapes by.

Jean Reno... well, he's doing what Jean Reno does best - being 'Jean Reno', y'know?

Paul Bettany is kinda campy as Silas to be honest - nobody seems to find it odd that there's some albino monk with super human strength lurching through major cities in the dead of night carrying a gun, but hey...I went with it.

Ron Howard's direction is faultless - definately a good choice there.

The music score was good, didn't overly rely on the whole 'Gregorian chant' schtick that one would expect thank God (no pun intended Big G )Kinda surprising that John Williams didn't manage to elbow his bombastic way into this project somehow...

Overall, they did the book proud, but for those who haven't read it, it may prove a little taxing to keep up with.

To summise:
At the end of the day, it makes a good yarn, but still can't see what all the fuss was about, I've books on Templars yadda yadda going back years. So what? Dan Brown's constructed a clever story, the film does the book proud....and uhhh....well, that's it really.

See it, live it, move on.

Now if you'll excuse me it's 4:20am and some pillows and a snug duvet are beckoning me like wanton harlots...

You sound like you were hella bored And it was FREE, too!
[Edited 5/17/06 20:23pm]

VoicesCarry said:

All I could think about was: 'bed...need bed... can watch this anytime.... must sleeeeep'

(I started work at 4pm, and left at 4am with only an hour break....)

BananaCologne said:

WTF? I just checked and this shit is almost 3 HOURS LONG!

VoicesCarry said:

add 20+mins of ads, idents and trailers....

BananaCologne said:

Did the editor die and no one noticed? I mean, damn. This is a THRILLER, right? Or supposed to be.

I have seen mostly bad reviews for it. And what is with Tom Hanks hair?

BananaCologne haven't seen you around much....

BananaCologne said:

you probably dreamt it was good

Wow. The critics are reeming this movie!

BananaCologne said:

hey now.... why you doggin John Williams? Did you know he did the incidental instrumental music to..... Gilligan's Island? I like John Williams.

http://www.myspace.com/74305123

unlucky7 said:

He was watching the DaVinci Code

PANDURITO said:

lmao