Benn Farrell The DaVinci Code (2006)
reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell

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This film was a lot of fun and in no way insulting to believers.

A murder inside the Louvre in Paris and clues left by its curator lead symbolist Robert Langdon played by Tom Hanks (Cast Away), and investigator Sophie Neveu, played by Audrey Tatou (Amelie), to the discovery of a theological mystery protected by a 2000 year old secret society surrounding the truth behind the Holy Grail.

The worst thing about this movie is it ruins "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" after the audience learns what the 'holy grail' actually is according to the big theory.

I've heard this theory of Christ having a holy bloodline since I was about 12 years old, so it being the big revelation of the story didn't impress me. It's a big deal, sure, but it wasn't something I got upset over or even thought was any more thought provoking than when I first heard it.

I thought the film was well paced and was a lot of fun following Langdon and Neveu as they uncovered information, even though there were a couple of 'commercial' sequences i.e. when Neveu was driving her Mini at high speeds backwards, extremely well and through tight spaces. How did she learn to do THAT?

I loved how the film showed the theoretical history behind the secret groups involved, but I think it will ultimately be too much information for most viewers. Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman did a great job of trying to explain so much information for their audience.

Paul Bettany (Wimbledon) and Tatou were great in their roles. Ian McKellen (X-men movies) also had a believable run with his time on screen.

As a believer, I'm no where near being insulted by this material. Even if Langdon didn't have his little dialogue about prayer in the last of Act Three, I don't think the film sets out to be politically volatile towards Christianity. It certainly presents this age-old theory in a fictional manner which ended up pretty entertaining. I think it's worth seeing and maybe owning on DVD.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?