Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2590 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-16
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, Hindi, Czech, Italian, English
• Dubbed in: Czech, Italian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 143 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise (games and action figures are sure to follow). The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the story is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn't envy Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter who was handed a potentially unfilmable book and asked to make a filmable script out of it. Goldsman's solution was to have the screenplay follow the book as closely as possible, with a few needed changes, including a better ending. The result is a film that actually makes slightly better entertainment than the book.

So if you're like most of the world, by now you've read the book and know that it starts out as a murder mystery. While lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator, Jacques Sauniere. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist and Sauniere's granddaughter. Neveu and Langdon are forced to team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe as it balloons into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, complete with alternative theories about the life of Christ, ancient secret societies headed by historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, secret codes, conniving bishops, daring escapes, car chases, and, of course, a murderous albino monk controlled by a secret master who calls himself "The Teacher."

Taken solely as a mystery thriller, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving forward at the breakneck pace set in the book. Brown's greatest trick might have been to have the entire story take place in a day so that the action is forced to keep going, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly a memorable screen pair; meanwhile, Sir Ian McKellen's scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needs to keep it from taking itself too seriously. In the end, this hit movie is just like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, FORREST GUMP) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou, AMELIE) set out to uncover the truth about The Holy Grail, encountering a mysterious ancient society on the way. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is on business in Paris when he is called to the Louvre, where a curator he was due to meet has been murdered. There he meets police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, the granddaughter of the murdered curator. A number of symbols and riddles have been found at the murder scene and the duo set about solving the complex mystery. However, Bezu Fache (Jean Reno, LEON)--the police officer in charge of the investigation--believes that Langdon is implicated in the killing. This leads to Langdon being chased by the French police as he attempts to solve the mystery by following secret clues found in the works of artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Langdon and Neveu escape to England to continue their search for clues in the mystery that has the possibility to upset the very foundations of Christianity, a search that brings them into conflict with Catholic organisation Opus Dei and their dangerous monk Silas (Paul Bettany, GANGSTER NO. 1). Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (I, ROBOT) manages to transform Dan Brown's tremendously successful novel into a thrilling and fast paced script that is expertly directed by Ron Howard (APOLLO 13). The film was the target of criticism by the Roman Catholic Church but this didn't stop THE DA VINCI CODE becoming a worldwide smash hit.

Customer Reviews

endless
The Da Vinci Code (it could have been called any number of things) is the type of movie that ages the viewer. Interminable and dull, entire geological ages come and go, like blinks of the eye, before the film, having passed through one banal scene to the next, finally releases its tortuous grip on the exhausted viewer. Frankly, I could not care a hoot about the history of Jesus Christ (although a better plot would have been one that questioned his existence at all), so I was, obviously, very bored by the scenes (which is most of them) during which sombody explains something to another person, and then that person explains it again to the really dull person who wasn't listening.

And then there is the acting. Apart from Gandalf, who is too good to be in this movie, the performances are entirely lifeless, particularly between the two leads who, it would appear, don't like each other.

Finally though, the real villian in all of this, the director. Ron Howard! His pacing of the scenes, and his desire to have absolutely everything explained, destroys any chance the film had of being passable as 90 minutes entertainment. He should be shot.

bold attempt, poor movie...
First off, let's admit that the book itself was an helluva bold attempt, a real phenomena because Brown repopularized an old theory (that the Bible was a work commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine during the First Council of Nicaea in the 4th century, and here Christ was elevated to divine status for political reasons), making serious assertions about the origins of the Bible, the Holy Grail, the Catholic Church and the divinity of Christ. These are critically controversial debates that must be left to the theologians.

Another thing is that making a movie out of such a "dangerous" subject is another bold attempt, albeit turned out to be quite unsatisfactory at the end. Cinematically, the film is nothing but another stylized, big-budget crap; but it hit the box office thanks to the popularity of the book and its box-office draws like Hanks, Tautou and Reno. The film uses every possible kind of trite Hollywood cliches from beginning to end. In a dark environment characterized by mystery within mystery and conspiracy within conspiracy, every riddle is untangled like taking candy from a baby!!!... The invulnerability of the protagonists makes it a third-rate Indiana Jones type of stuff.

I read the book twice and really enjoyed, and must say that the majority of the problems come from the direction and screenplay. OK, I must admit that translating a thick book to screen is not a cinch. The main trouble is character development, depth and tension. What works in a 600-page book does not work in a 140 minutes movie. The truth is that Ron Howard screwed up the beautiful story. Also, Hanks is miscast as Dr. Langdon; Jeff Bridges or Liam Neeson would have been a better choice. On the other hand, Tautou, and the supporting cast especially McKellen and Bettany delivers satisfactory performances.

Last word: don't forget that the plot is based on fiction (although Don Brown says that 99% is true!!!), so no need to get up in arms about it..... (2.5/5.0)

Make up your own conclusion.
Like many I had just finished the book and decided to buy the film.

I think that director has done as good a job as possibly in the 2 1/2 hours. Yes the film does not go into as much depth as some people say, but good effort despite that, I think that if director had tried to make it more detailed then the whole film would have become bogged down with complexity and the majority of viewers would have become lost and confused as to what was going on.

My wife who got lost on the first few pages of the book found the film enjoyable and managed to understand the plot.

My advice to anyone would be this; if you have read the book or not, then buy the DVD and watch the film. Personally I feel it is a good film, and a good film at that to watch on a Saturday night.