The Da Vinci Code

Fans of the book might find this one tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable. For those going in blind, this could prove to be one of this year’s most monotonous, talkative and boring cinematic endeavors. Tom Hanks plays “symbologist” Robert Langdon, who walks and occasionally runs through this movie as he investigates the circumstances of a strange death at the Louvre. His travels, and not-all-too-interesting puzzle solving, lead to revelations about Christianity and Mary Magdalene that would give the Pope a stomachache. Hanks is sleepwalking here, and Audrey Tautou is robbed of most of her charm. Director Ron Howard is probably being very faithful to the material, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. What works on the page doesn’t always transfer to film, and this is concrete proof of that. The movie contains far too many explanatory conversations and never gets to a point where it flows. Just a lot of drab talking.