The Da Vinci Code

Yup, I saw the movie last night. Though many of the reviews are negative or only so-so about The Da Vinci Code, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I'm not sure what exactly people were expecting or why they would be disappointed-- I mean, let's look at the book. I loved the novel, and thought it was a gripping, incredibly compelling but entirely plot-driven story. And therein lies the key to the movie's cynics: if the film is indeed an accurate adaptation of the novel, then I argue that it's unfair to expect an Oscar-caliber film. The Da Vinci Code is essentially a thriller (albeit a very intriguing and exceedingly clever one). It's much more on par with an action movie than an award-winning drama. Bottom line: The Da Vinci Code (the movie) is exactly what it's supposed to be: a fast-paced, thoroughly riveting mystery-thriller. Just because Tom Hanks is in the movie and Ron Howard's directing shouldn't make expectations unnecessarily high. Everyone needs to simply take the movie at face value and understand that it doesn't stray from the essence of the novel at all, but rather embraces it and doesn't work under the pretense that it's aspiring to be something that it isn't. That, my friends, is truly cracking the code.