"The Da Vinci Code" was a film that I really hoped I would like. (Boy that's a death sentence of an opening line if I've ever read one…) And to be honest, I did like it… kind of. I never read the book, but the overall premise really intrigued me. First and foremost, the story is a murder mystery, but the mystery is all wrapped up in a theory that Jesus did a little more with Mary Magdalene than stay up and talk on the phone all night. Of course any time a story dares to present Jesus in anything other than a wholly positive and pious light, the Christians rally around the cross and condemn, Condemn, CONDEMN!! Oddly enough, and some of you may not believe this, but I am a Christian. I know, I know, you ask how I could be a Christian and watch all of the horrible movies that I do. To be honest it's quite simple… I'm a sentient Christian. I'm a thinking Christian. I can discern between fiction and non-fiction, fact or fallacy.

I don't get bent out of shape just because someone has a different opinion, and I certainly don't condemn a film as heresy without actually taking the time to see it for myself. (And yes, that is the typical ignorant faux-Christian attack… decrying a film or book with ever actually seeing it for themselves…)

So while I have no opinion about the book "The Da Vinci Code", I certainly do have an opinion about the movie… well at least the DVD of the movie as I never quite made it to the theatre. But first, to give you bit more specific idea what it was that made people so divided on their opinion I can tell you that the story revolved around a professor (Tom Hanks) who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and finds that he has become a suspect in the murder that has occurred at the Louvre. As he is an expert on ancient symbology, he is asked to decipher some symbols that are found around the body. Aided by a police cryptologist (Audrey Tatou), his attempts to clear himself draw him even deeper into a much larger mystery involving a sect out to protect a secret that threatens the existence of the Catholic Church.

Overall, the film itself isn't bad, but it is far from director Ron Howard's best work. For the most part, the film kind of plods along at as fair snail's pace and is filled with far more expositionary flashbacks than are necessary to tell the story. I'm not if this is because Howard as attempting to put as much of the book onto the screen as possible (again having not read the book), or if he just felt it was needed to help the average moviegoer understand the far-reaching implications of the plot. Either way, it made the film a bit too long for the story that was being told.

Also working to the film's detriment was star Tom Hanks, who may be one of the best actors working in Hollywood today, but one couldn't tell from his performance here. He wasn't bad, but at times just seemed far removed from the proceedings. It just wasn't a particularly good performance on Hanks' part. On the other hand, Audrey Tatou, a French actress who isn't as well known here in the states, not only held her own against Hanks, but in many ways outshines the twice honored Oscar winner. And where it would seem to help a film by adding the likes of Jean Reno, Alfred Molina and Ian McKellan to its cast, none of the actors were onscreen enough to fully utilize their talents.

As for the DVD, the film's shortcomings are somewhat made up for by the decent amount of special features that were added to this 2-disc set. The first disc only contains the film and a few trailers, but the 2nd disc delivers about an hour and a half of additional material. Some of the featurettes include a look at the first day on the set, a look at the main characters as well as some of the secondary characters, and a discussion with Dan Brown (the author of the original book). But of course, there's quite a bit more with featurettes about the locations and sets, a close look at the 'Mona Lisa' by members of the cast and crew, the creation of the score and a couple of documentaries on the symbols used in the film. And as if that's not enough, there is also a two part "Making of…" featurette that covers everything that wasn't touched upon in the other featurettes.

So as you can see, the DVD for "The Da Vinci Code" offers quite a bit of behind the scenes info, it’s just too bad the film itself couldn't have been better.

Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jurgen Prochnow, Paul Bettany, Jean Reno
Extras: First Day on the Set with Ron Howard, Conversation with Dan Brown, A Portrait of Langdon - How Tom Hanks Became Tom Langdon, The Codes of The Da Vinci Code
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website

We'll give The Da Vinci Code a C+.