4 replies on “The Da Vinci Code opens to lukewarm response”

  1. Discussion
    … and the DaVinci code discussion on bureau42 opens to an even luker warmer (??) response.

    Judging from both the reviews and the lack of interest here, I’m beginning to think this movie will bomb.

    I was really curious how there were going to get around the enourmous amounts of exposition in the book without creating an incredibly boring movie. I think my question is answered… They apparently didn’t solve that problem.

    • Re: Discussion

      … and the DaVinci code discussion on bureau42 opens to an even luker warmer (??) response.

      Judging from both the reviews and the lack of interest here, I’m beginning to think this movie will bomb.

      I was really curious how there were going to get around the enourmous amounts of exposition in the book without creating an incredibly boring movie. I think my question is answered… They apparently didn’t solve that problem.

      And I didn’t even think the book looked very good. Definitely not going to waste my time on it. Next cinema visit: X-Men 3. Which may also be awful, but will at least be pretty.

  2. my review…
    Here’s a movie that I was looking forward to seeing because of all of the hoopla about it. My girlfriend and many other folks I know read the book. A few of my friends, my girlfriend included, got a bunch of flack about their opinions about the book not because they hated it but because they called a spade a spade. The book, as my girlfriend says, is the type of thing you pick up in an airport bookstore and read on a long flight. It’s fluff, nothing more. Well did she get an earfull (well, a mailbox full)… here’s the link: http://www.monkeysvsrobots.com/mvsrpm/literature_comments.php?id=265_0_8_0_C

    So I was looking forward to seeing the movie and curious if it lived up to the hype. I’m not the type to pay good money for a bad movie unless that is what I’m expecting and am looking forward to it (like paying to go see http://trashfilmorgy.com/ ).

    So does the movie live up to the hype? Uhmm… NO. I’ve never been so bored in a theatre. I mean, I’ve watched some slow movies, (I’ll be the first to admit to really enjoying some very slow movies, like Le Salaire de la peur {Wages of Fear} or the original Insomnia {the Norwegian movie, not the Robin Williams movie}). I’m also a big fan of cheesy, bad, low budget, sillyness. If it is entertaining chances are I might enjoy it.

    The Da Vinci Code is not entertaining. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is almost excruciating to watch. I had a rough time sitting through it. Sadly, I could tell the rest of the sold-out theatre was having a tough time of it too as people kept shifting in their seats and later in the movie I heard quite clearly people having conversations and laughing. Not the kind of "I want some popcorn or did you leave the gas on" kind of stuff, more the "I’d rather be hitting my head of a nail or invite a stranger over to kick my cat" kind of conversation.

    About 30 minutes into the movie I realized that not only is nothing happening I have no interest in these characters. There was absolutely no depth to them, and none to follow right through the end. Why should I care if they live or die? Our hero, played by Tom Hanks, was a cardboard cutout of a character; a low rent Indiana Jones. However he bumbled his way through the story relying on others to put the pieces together even though he was supposedly a master of symbolism and one would think code solving. However he just had a hint of that "I can see puzzles unfold before me" from a previous Howard film, A Beautiful Mind, about a schizoid math genius who refused to take his pills (boo hoo).

    The movie tries to trick you into thinking things are happening by playing "big" rushing music you might hear on a show like 24, you are instead watching very little action on screen. It was like getting a shot of adrenaline to go and sit on the couch to watch the news. Sound fun?

    When the action did pickup from the glacial pace it starts with it explains itself so quickly that you have no idea what is going on and by the time you figure out what is happening it doesn’t matter any more because the movie either slows down or jumps to a tangent that makes everything you just learned not really important anyway.

    I finally realized that I should just turn my brain off and watch the movie. However I had a really tough time of it when I’m that bored. It’s easy when you are watching a big dumb summer movie like Armageddon to turn your brain off. It’se a popcorn flick, you knew it going in and if you bought the tickets you are hoping for a few hours of mindless sillyness. Well Da Vinci Code is mindless, if not down right stupid. Contrived? Hardly explores the idea. Convoluted? Ohh, yes.

    I don’t want to dealve into plot but there are so many holes in this thing you drive a small metallic moon of Endor through it. Worse than that was the movie never seemed to end after I realized it was never really getting anywhere. The folks in Europe that have to see the last 10 minutes of the movie chopped out aren’t really missing much (believe me, you’ll have pretty well suspected it out about 30 minutes in and you will have been right). I really felt like the movie was over by then anyway as it sort of stops and picks up almost like it was tacked on. Meh, whatever.

    It is a shame such a great cast was put to waste. I hope Ron Howard will find a script worthy of his talent like he did in Apollo 13 and Cinderella Man (underrated but very good). I think the only reason why this movie stands on one leg is because it has a strong cast and without them nobody would put up with this nonsense. I would recommend another, much much better, movie with some similar ideas Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. You can’t go wrong with that one. By the way, Alfred Molina is in Da Vinci Code playing a rotten priest. I bring this up because he played the "throw me the idol and I’ll throw you the whip" guy in Raider of the Lost Arc, his starring role in a movie which was also a million times better than this train wreck.

    In short, I give this thing about a 5/10. I’ve seen FAAR worse movies, believe me. This had top notch production, great cast, good music, hell everything but a compelling script and interesting characters. You know, the two most important things to a great movie…

    Big spoiler warning: The part about the Mona Lisa being Da Vinci’s cross-dressing gay lover to explain why she was smiling was kind of over the top. Heh, I kid! ;p

    btw, I’m going to post this on my site once I have a chance (and am awake enough to edit it) in case anyone is interested…

Comments are closed.