"Raiders of the Lost 'Code'"
by Scott Mantz

"The Da Vinci Code"
Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou
Directed by Ron Howard

Mona Lisa smile! Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou try to crack "The Da Vinci Code"

Lord, have mercy!  How is it possible that a book as entertaining and suspenseful as “The Da Vinci Code” could end up being made into such a dull and ponderous movie?  That's the question I've been asking myself ever since I saw director Ron Howard's $125 million adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel.

Then again, “The Da Vinci Code” isn't just a bestseller - it's one of the best selling books of all time.  Since it's release in 2003, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon, selling more than 60 million copies and inspiring heated debates about its controversial allegations - among them, that Jesus of Nazareth married Mary Magdalene, fathered a child and started a bloodline that, if made public, would destroy the very foundation of Christianity.

Despite being a work of pure fiction, these bold implications have incurred the wrath of just about every religious group under the sun.  But nothing sells books better than a little controversy, and that's bound to translate into big sales at the box office as well.  Just ask Mel Gibson - his “Passion of the Christ” opened during a firestorm of controversy in 2004, only to gross more than $670 million worldwide.

But “The Passion” was based on a deeply religious tome, where “The Da Vinci Code” is not (like I said, its fiction, folks!).  And after all the hype, all the boycotts, all the analysis and all the talk about Tom Hanks' weird hairdo, moviegoers can finally see what the fuss is all about and judge it for themselves.

Those moviegoers will be divided into two camps - obviously, those who read the book and those who didn't.  The former will surely have the advantage, since they will already be familiar with the information-heavy Indiana Jones-style religious adventure, while the latter will have a tougher time putting all the details into perspective.  That doesn't necessarily mean that readers will love the movie - it just means that they won't be as confused as non-readers.

And therein lies the problem.  From day one, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (who won an Academy Award for writing the screenplay for Howard's Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind”) have been under constant scrutiny to stay true to the book.  For the most part, they succeeded.  There are a few minor changes (especially towards the end), and some of the events are out of sequence, but all the historical flashbacks that are explained in the book are up there on the big screen to the point of overkill.

And that's not a good thing, as the movie caves in under the pressure to preach to the choir.  There's way too much talky exposition, the pacing feels rushed in an effort to squeeze everything in and the movie goes on far too long (it runs 2 hours and 29 minutes).  In addition, what felt natural on the page feels strangely contrived and melodramatic on the big screen, and the music by Hans Zimmer swells to the point of being intrusive.

Even worse is the lack of chemistry between two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks, who is surprisingly stiff as symbologist Robert Langdon, and “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou, who is just marginally effective as the police cryptologist who helps him crack the code.  Paul Bettany fares a bit better as Silas, the self-mutilating monk who takes his mission from Opus Dei a little too seriously, but Ian McKellen practically steals the movie when he shows up about halfway through as a Holy Grail enthusiast who puts Hanks and Tautou back on track.

Judging by movies like 1995's “Apollo 13,” 2000's “Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and last year's “Cinderella Man,” Ron Howard tends to make films that are more crowd-pleasing and entertaining than daring and challenging.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but unfortunately, his adaptation of “The Da Vinci Code” is far from being the cinematic gift from the gods that fans of the book have been praying for.

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